And The Reason Is You
by Arlena4815162342
Summary: "You're not crazy, Jack. You're not a freak. You're perfect, just the way you are." her words were what made him into Gotham City's most terrifying criminal.
1. The Boy Next Door

I do not own DC or Christopher Nolan's Batman stuff. I only own people I make up. No sue me.

**And The Reason Is You**

_"I found a reason for me to change who I used to be. A reason to start over new, and the reason is you." ~Hoobastank_

**x****x****x**

**June, 1993  
><strong>

Lindsay Stark heard her mother announce dinner from the kitchen window of their trailer park home, but she didn't even look over at her.

Sat on the ground outside, Lindsay had her fingers in her sunny blond hair, twirling as she watched the movers unload furniture into the no longer empty trailer next to hers.

Seeing a car pull up then, Lindsay watched a couple exit the front. The man looked enraged, as if the movers were doing something wrong. The woman had a drained appearance, like she was very, very tired...

Lindsay blinked as a boy exited the backseat. He was maybe her age, hopefully twelve. Curly hair that was sandy blond, with bright brown eyes like hers. He spotted Lindsay, and looked afraid for a moment.

She looked away quickly, thinking she was rude to stare. Her mother always reminded her not to do that.

A flash of hurt ran through the boys face. Why did she look away? Was there something wrong with him? Or was she one of those people who were the stuck up rich folk, who sneered off every low class person they came across?

Maybe she wasn't. She wouldn't be living in a lowly trailer park like this, if she had money.

Was she like him then? But afraid to show it...

"JACK!"

He looked over at his father by the door, "Quit standing there like a to-be slaughtered pig and unload my shit! Since your mother's being a little piece of..." he mumbled, disappearing inside.

Jack looked at Lindsay, and she waved at him.

Actually _waved_ at him.

He wasn't used to that. So he only held up his hand, and then finally went inside.

Joanna Stark, Lindsay's mother, opened the door then. "Are you coming?"

"Yeah..." Lindsay got up and went inside. "Can I eat outside?" she asked.

"I guess," her father said. "It might be cooler outside since the AC broke." he suggested.

Lindsay grabbed a large plate and filled it with her favorite dinner; drumsticks with the classic mashed potatoes and corn. Grabbing a fork along the way, she strolled back outside and sat down just as the moving truck was leaving.

Right as she put a bite of potato to her mouth, a thundering crash made her nearly drop her fork. The neighbor door went flying open, and the enraged man got in his car, causing a fit.

Lindsay's eyes were all on his as he drove off, making dust spit behind him as he was gone.

Back to her food, she finally got the bite in her mouth when she heard a question. "Did he scare you?"

She looked to her left to see the boy just outside his door. "No," she said. "Well...a little." she admitted.

"He's just mad." the boy told her as he evidently walked over to her.

"At what?" Lindsay asked as he sat with her.

"That we moved here," he told her. "We used to live in a big house and, we lost a lot of money, now we live here." he explained.

"I'm sorry," Lindsay said. She held out one of her drum sticks. "Hungry?" she offered.

"Thanks," he took the chicken and started to rip it with his teeth. "I'm Jack." he introduced.

"I'm Lindsay," she introduced back. "I hope you don't move again," she said. "You're the only kid I know here."

Jack plastered a smile on his face. "Really?" he asked. "Well, you're the only kid I know here, too." he announced.

"You just moved here," Lindsay reminded, as she started to giggle.

"Wanna hear a joke?" Jack offered.

"...Sure," Lindsay waited patiently.

"What's black and white, and red all over?" he asked her.

"Ummmm," Lindsay stared up for a moment. "I don't know?"

"A penguin with a sunburn!" Jack exclaimed. "Get it?"

Lindsay blinked, her fork drooping, and then she said, "Oh! I get it!" and she laughed. "That's dumb."

"I know, but you didn't even know it," Jack teased.

Lindsay put on a defeated grin. "Shut up."

"You hungry there, _Jack_?" a voice boomed the two, making their same bright eyes look up to see Joanna peering down from them at the window.

"I guess," Jack admitted.

"Well, come in and eat. Your parents won't mind, will they?" Joanna offered.

"No," Jack got up and opened their door. "They won't mind." he said as he entered.

"Like jokes, do you Jack?" Lindsay's father asked from the table, newspaper in hand.

Jack nodded. "Yeah, I know a lot." he admitted.

"Let's hear one," Lindsay's father suggested.

"Michael," Joanna sighed. "He—"

"It's okay," Jack reassured. "Ummm...what do you call a sheep with no legs?" he asked.

"Tell me," Michael urged as Joanna was making Jack a plate of food.

"A cloud." Jack announced.

Joanna chuckled as Michael nodded, "Not bad." he praised.

"Here you go," Joanna handed him a plate and a fork. "Enjoy."

"Thanks," Jack said sincerely.

As he went for the door, Michael spoke up, "Don't be kissing my daughter."

_"Dad!"_ Lindsay groaned from outside.

Jack flashed a grin, "I won't, sir." he promised.

Back outside, Lindsay gave him a sorrow smile. "Sorry about my dad." she whispered.

"No, it's okay. He seems nice." Jack admitted, sticking his fork under the corn.

Lindsay shrugged, and continued to eat quietly. "You're nice too," Jack added. "The nicest girl I ever met."

"...really?" Lindsay questioned, head tilted, making her sunny blond strands fall with her.

"Yeah, you gave me some of your food," Jack pointed. "No one's ever done that. Not even at school."

"Oh..." Lindsay said, dumbstruck. "Well, you're welcome." she smiled.

"I never said thank you," Jack said coldly.

Lindsay's smile faded then, staring into his eyes. But he finally smiled, "I was joking! Thank you!" he laughed.

"You're such a joker," Lindsay teased, not knowing how true that really was in the years to come.

* * *

><p><strong>I recently watched both movies in one day, became a little less sane, and voila. They always start out <em>normal<em> right? Then it's always the one _tragic event_ that changes you forever. I've read different fics on the origin of his scars, and decided to let my creative process take over...**


	2. Only The Silence Remains

**November, 1993**

"Hey, Lindsay, what do cows do for entertainment?" Jack asked

"Eat grass," Lindsay guessed, lazily.

"No, they rent _moo_vies!" Jack corrected.

Lindsay turned over in the grass to face him, "Haha..." she said sarcastically.

"Are my jokes _that_ bad?" Jack asked her, leaning back against the tree.

"Yeah, they're _terrible_," Lindsay teased.

"Aww," Jack whined. "You know, you don't have to move. You could live with me." he suggested.

"No way," she denied. "Your dad is creepy." she admitted.

Jack frowned a little. "Take me with you?" he offered.

Lindsay shook her head with a grin, "No way." she denied again.

"We're leaving!" Joanna bellowed from the car.

The two got up, and Jack suddenly pulled her into a hug. "Bye..." he whispered.

She dug her fingers into his curly hair. "I'll see you at school, you know. It's not bye forever." she told him.

"I know...but..." Jack hesitated.

"What is it?" she asked him quietly.

Jack pulled away, holding her face with his hands. Then quickly he leaned towards her face and Lindsay instantly knew what he was going to do.

She grabbed his wrists and gently pushed him away. "You may be thirteen, Jack, but I'm not. Got one more month left, and even then, I won't kiss you." she said, touching his nose playfully.

"Why not?" Jack asked, dropping his hands as a wave of hurt washed over him.

"I'm not allowed, remember what my dad said when we met?" Lindsay reminded.

Jack rolled his eyes, "He's not even _looking_," he said.

"He's got eyes on the back of his head," she explained. "I'll see you on Monday, okay? Bye, Jack." she gave a quick wave, then running towards her car.

Jack watched her sunny blond streaks blow back behind her as she ran. Now he longed to dig his hands in _her_ hair, as she just did with his curls.

Monday was too far away...

As Lindsay climbed in the back of the car, Joanna said, "I'm gonna pretend I didn't see that."

Her daughter shrugged, "Okay?"

"Didn't see what?" Michael asked as he stuck the key in the ignition.

"Nothing," Joanna lied. "Let's get out of here."

As the car drove away, the cold November wind made Jack shiver a little. "Rejected, huh?" he heard his father say from their front door, well, only door.

Jack turned his head to face. "And she didn't give you a kiss goodbye," he continued. "Boo-fucking-who, Jack, wipe that look off your face."

As soon as Jack looked away, he snapped. "Don't look away when I'm talking to you!"

His son flinched back up with wide brown eyes. "That's better, now get your ass in here." he ordered.

Then Jack noticed that his father had a bottle of liquor in his hand.

Gulping quietly, he followed his father in, who slammed their door shut. His mother was nowhere in sight, probably hiding in her room. Jack didn't blame her. Nowadays that's all she would do, hide from her drunkard husband.

"Jack, Jack, Jack..." his father began. He gently swished his half-empty bottle back and forth. "Are you sad?" he asked. "She's gone, you know."

"I know," Jack agreed quietly.

"Which means you don't have any damn excuse to leave the house anymore, even at night." he caught his son's surprise. "Oh yeah, don't think I don't know what you do when the lights go out."

Jack seemed embarrassed so he stared at the floor.

"You sneak out, take a chair, and stick it under that girl's window, and you watch her _sleep_," he ratted. "What the _fuck_ is the point of that? _Hm_?" he demanded.

Jack opened his mouth, but no words came out. "Come on, spit it out." his father pressed.

"I...I like watching her sleep, it makes me wonder what she dreams about," Jack admitted. "And...I feel like I'm protecting her when I watch." he added.

His father was near ready to die laughing like a lunatic. "_Protecting_ her? She's _sleeping_! What would you protect her from?"

Jack shrugged. "I don't know. You."

His father stopped now. "_Me_? What, why would I _ever_, wanna _hurt_, your _precious,_ Lindsay?" he asked. "_Hm_?"

"Cause I like her," Jack stated.

"Oh, do you now?" his father asked. He rubbed his mouth from loose liquid, and then taking a swig. "Like that ain't obvious. Buuuut, I guess it's a good thing she's _gone_ then," he spat. "Now I can't go _hurt_ her." he flashed a grin as he pulled out a slip of paper.

"Shame that they gave me the address to their new place. _Hmm_..."

Jack's eyes widened. They gave him the address? He couldn't help but swipe his hand out, just as his father pulled back with a laugh.

"Mmm-mmm, don't think so, Jackie," he said. "From now on, you won't say her name. You won't like her. You won't sneak out. You won't do jack shit. Got it?" he explained in a matter of hysteria.

"Cause if you do, I'll do something like this..." he took another drink of his liquor, and then chucked the bottle at Jack's face.

As it impacted, the glass shattered, making him scream as the alcohol soaked into the blood on his face, making him only scream worse.

"Shut up," his father groaned. "Go clean your face before the blood gets on my shitty carpet." he ordered. As he went into the kitchen, he erupted into a fit of laughter that terrified Jack.

He ran down the hall and into the bathroom, slamming shut the door. Turning the sink on cold water, he spat out the alcohol that got into his mouth, and then used the mirror to pick off the glass pieces that stuck on, pitching them into the trash.

After cleaning his face, he saw more blood start to spill, below his now dark eyes. So he grabbed a towel, turning the sink off. Without instinct, he sat down, back against the door, and buried his face in the black towel.

He tried to muffle the noise but he couldn't stop sobbing, not even to bury his face in a different dry part of the towel as he soaked it with his tears.

Jack cried because he hated his crazy father. Because his mother wouldn't do anything. Because Lindsay had moved away. His one chance of escape had left his grasp.

But, he mostly cried because now, he was completely alone.


	3. By The Light Of The Moon

When Monday came, Lindsay strolled into her first period class, choir, and sighed. Seventh grade was so _lame_, she kinda missed elementary school.

After the bell rang for class to end, Lindsay took the stairs to the second level. She took this way towards the other end of the long hall to the end hall stairs everyday , because Jack's locker was upstairs.

But today, as she walked down the hall, he wasn't at his locker. Strange? He was there every day, except now.

"Looking for your boyfriend?"

Lindsay looked to her left as her best friend walked up next to her. "Shut up," she said. "He's not my boyfriend."

"Whatevs," Jade sighed. "He wasn't in first period, so he's not here today." she explained.

Lindsay slightly frowned. He never missed school, did he catch a cold or something? He hardly had on a sweater the day she moved...

The day passed, and then the last class finally came for Lindsay and Jade, gym. In the changing room, Lindsay slipped on her short clothes when Jade came up to her, running her brush through her long black hair. "He's here." she announced.

"Who?" Lindsay asked, smoothing her sunny blond streaks in the mirror.

"Jack."

Lindsay stopped, "He is?"

"Yeah, showed up after lunch. He got a haircut." Jade explained.

"What?" Lindsay gasped. "Give me that," she snatched her brush and started using it. "You're serious?"

"I'm serious." Jade confirmed. After changing, the entire girls class exited the changing rooms, and spread into the gym.

Lindsay saw Jack over by the boys, so she waved. After he waved back, she motioned at her hair, giving him a confused look.

Jack pat his now short hair, then giving her a thumbs up. That only made her frown.

* * *

><p>The teacher usually gave the students the last few minutes of class to do whatever. As everyone sat on the bleachers, Lindsay was writing in her agenda notebook when someone sat next to her.<p>

"What do you call a fish with no eye?"

She cracked a smile, then looked at Jack. "What?"

"FSH," he said. "Get it? A fish with no eye...the letter I...FSH." he explained.

Lindsay had to grin, "You and your dumb jokes." she teased.

"They're still not funny?" Jack realized.

"Nope," Lindsay said, poking his nose. "Better luck next time."

"Aww..." Jack started to swing his legs.

"Why did you cut your hair?" Lindsay asked him then.

He hesitated then. "I don't know, I just wanted it cut." he stared down at the bottom of the bleachers.

Lindsay grabbed his wrist, making him jolt up. "Jack," she said sternly. "What happened?"

He looked into her same bright brown eyes. "Nothing," he said. "I got tired of curly hair."

Still not believing it, Lindsay released her grip. "Fine," she said, just as the bell rang. "Don't tell me." she got up and stepped down to the ground, exiting the gym.

"Lindsay!" Jack called, but she didn't stop.

Outside, Lindsay boarded her new bus, and sat in the middle seats. Jade soon got on and joined. "How was your day?"

"Fine. Jack was lying about his hair." Lindsay told him.

"Why?" Jade questioned.

"Think it has something to do with his dad..." Lindsay assumed.

"His dad mean?" Jade guessed.

Lindsay nodded. "He yells a lot." she said quietly.

"Dang...hope your boyfriend doesn't get hurt or something," Jade prayed.

"Me too Jade, me too." Lindsay agreed.

* * *

><p>When Jack walked into his trailer home, he saw his dad asleep on the couch. His mom was in the kitchen, and she smiled sadly at him.<p>

Seeing his father asleep, Jack decided to sneak down the hall with an idea. After tossing his book bag in his room, he slowly crept out and slowly stepped towards his parents room.

Once inside, he rummaged through their desk drawer, and felt relief when he found the slip of paper with Lindsay's new address.

He read it, and memorized it in a heartbeat. She didn't live too far away. Only a few blocks away, still in the suburbs of Gotham City.

Jack grinned now, and could only count the hours until the moon rose.

At her new house, Lindsay was laying on her stomach on her bed, nearly finishing her homework. This was kind of boring. When she needed help with a problem or two, Jack would help.

But he wasn't here.

She shoved her binder away with a scowl, turning to lie on her back. She stared at the ceiling.

This was boring. Didn't she already pass that thought? She missed talking to Jack. Now she thought about gym class. What was the real truth behind his hair cut?

A lot of nights, she'd wake up to hear his dad yelling like crazy. Michael would want to go over and teach him a thing or two for yelling after midnight, but Joanna would tell him not to start anything.

"If he wants to yell, that's his business," she would say.

"Is Jack okay?" Lindsay would ask.

"Hope so, poor kid," Michael would answer.

Lindsay scratched an itch on her temple. Her bedroom door opened then. "You okay?" Joanna asked her. She nodded. "Bad day?" her mother guessed. She shook her head. "Just 'one of those days' then?" Joanna assumed.

Lindsay nodded.

"Dinner's almost done. Come down in a few minutes." Joanna told her, leaving the room.

Lindsay lounged for her binder, and nabbed a permanent marker. On the front, she wrote Jack's name in small writing, so it wouldn't be too noticeable, and then drew a heart next to it.

Now she smiled.

That night, Jack moved his bike out through his window outside, and then climbed out. He hopped on his bike, and took off pedaling.

Traffic was light, as he sped along the sidewalks. He caused some dogs to bark as he went by houses, approaching the suburban neighborhood.

Reaching the street, he searched for the address numbers on the houses, until he spotted Michael's car on the curb.

He'd found them.

Parking his bike along Michael's car, Jack ran up to the window by the door...the living room was dark. He ducked to the right, seeing a large tree that led up right towards a second floor window.

So he climbed the tree, and sat on the branch closest to the window. He leaned himself forwards and strained to see through the window.

He saw a bed against the window...and very familiar strangles of bed hair. Lindsay. She was fast asleep, facing away from the window. But Jack was happy either way...


	4. Caged Hearts

"Terrible Tuesday," Jade chimed during lunch, using her fingers to make twirls in her charcoal hair.

Lindsay took a bite of her mixed vegetables. "Bleh," she said. "I hate school..."

"Sorry I'm late," Lindsay's face changed when Jack sat down across from them. "Some of the eighth graders were being mean..." he said quietly.

"Stupid upperclassmen," Jade scowled. "And think, we'll be _following_ those guys all in high school."

"Joy," Lindsay sighed. "But hey, all the seventh graders next year will say the same about us..." she reminded.

Jade shrugged. "And we'll just be like, 'whatever'." then she remembered. "Ugh. My _brother_ will be in seventh grade next year. NOO!" she bellowed. "Bad enough I _live_ with the guy...now I have to _see_ him at _school_!" she groaned.

"I love your little brother though," Lindsay said. "He's so cute..."

Jack took a drink of his milk, trying to hide his jealous twinged face. He was sat in front of the only girl he ever cared about...and probably will remain the only one...and he just heard her say she thought a boy who was a grade younger than them was cute.

Jack crushed his empty milk carton completely, drawing the attention of the girls.

"...I didn't know you had a brother," he said quietly. "What's his name?"

"Jonathan," Jade sighed. "He's a freaking geek who wears big ugly glasses. He says it makes him look more like a doctor." she explained.

"He wants to be a doctor?" Lindsay realized.

"Kind of, some weird kind," Jade said. "But whatevs..."

"Aww..._Doctor_ Crane, that's a cool name." Lindsay teased.

"Is not. My last name sucks." Jade whined.

"Hey, Miss _Crane_, it's better than mine." Lindsay reminded.

"No it's not," Jack cut in. "Stark is a great name..."

"Yes it is, _Miss_ Stark." Jade agreed.

Lindsay rolled her bright brown eyes. "Whatever you guys say..."

Jack grinned at her, but now couldn't stop thinking of _Jonathan Crane_. Next year they'd be eighth graders, the boy a seventh. He'd be at their school...

Lindsay called him _cute_.

Jack didn't like that at all.

Not...one...bit.

* * *

><p><em>"Lindsay, what's a dog's favorite school subject?"<em>

She rolled her eyes, glad he couldn't see through the phone. "Lunch time?" she guessed.

_"No, Dog-Ruff-E,"_ Jack answered happily. _"You know, geography, dog-ruff-e..."_

"You and your jokes," Lindsay clicked her tongue.

Jack giggled in a manly way. _"Do you think you could come over? I've been writing up new jokes I found..."_ he asked.

"I can't," Lindsay said, making his heart sink. "I'm staying over at Jade's tonight, to work on our project for language arts." she explained. "Sorry...maybe this weekend I can come over." she suggested.

Jack narrowed his eyes together sadly, eying his mom looking out their trailer house window. Her husband had went outside to ass about, allowing Jack to use the phone until he came back inside.

_"Oh, okay..."_ he said. _"Have fun..."_

"Jack," his mother whispered.

_"I have to go, see you tomorrow."_ Jack said.

"Okay, bye Jack," Lindsay said just as she heard the dial tone.

Jack handed the phone to his mother just as the door opened, his father trumping in angrily. "Goddamn grass needs cut, Jack, get off your lazy ass and...what the hell, boy?"

"What?" Jack asked, his heart beat rising quickly as his father approached him.

"Where's your cuts?" he demanded. "You hiding them? Hm?" he wiped his hand on his son's face, blush coming off on his hand. The cuts from the broken beer bottle glass from days before reappeared on Jack's face.

He scowled. "Go cut the lawn." he waved him off.

At the speed of light Jack disappeared outside, trying not to cry. _Come on, Jack, you're a teen now...don't cry!_

Opening the shed he dragged out their red lawn mower, and revved it to life. _Think about Lindsay..._now he smiled. He could easily brighten his day by thinking of the sunny blond haired girl, who had the same bright brown eyes as himself...

_"I love your little brother, though. He's so cute..."_

Jack squeezed the handle bar on the mower tightly. Lindsay was staying over at the _Crane_ house, where said _cute_ little _brother_ lived.

Now he needed to know where Jade lived. _Now_.

He needed an excuse...

* * *

><p>"Finish your homework?" Joanna asked.<p>

"Yeah," Lindsay answered.

"Cleaned your room?"

"Yeah,"

"Tell Jade we were coming over now?"

"Yeah,"

"Give your father a hug?"

"Yeah—no,"

Joanna grinned. "Best you do it. I'll be in the car."

Lindsay ran down the narrow hallway into the back of the kitchen where Michael was raiding a cupboard.

"Bye Dad." she said.

"Huh? Oh, bye. Be good." Michael gave her a quick hug. "Call if you need anything..."

"I will," Lindsay agreed, turning around and dashing into the living room, then flying out the front door. She got in the shotgun of Michael's car, Joanna turning the key in the ignition.

"One more..." Joanna said. "You got clothes and stuff for tomorrow?"

Lindsay pointed to her backpack she tossed in the back seat. "Yeah."

"Just makin' sure," her mother said, pulling away from the curb.

* * *

><p><strong>YEAH, I didn't plan on making Jonathan Crane Jade's brother, or even having him in the fic at <em>all<em>. I blame the fanfic, "Where Is the Edge?" by ShardsofBrokenGlass...and now we have a jealous Jack? Uh-oh...**


	5. Running Circles In My Mind

Now at the Crane house, Lindsay emerged inside with her back pack, as Jade approached. "Hey, you made it, just put your bag down there-"

_"Jade! Finish the dishes! Now!"_ a woman yelled from the kitchen.

"I will! Lindsay's here!" she yelled back. "Ugh, just put your stuff up in my room. First door on the right." she instructed.

"Okay." Lindsay walked across the white carpeted living room, gripping the tan stair railing, helping her up the steps. At the top, she went down the hall until she found her friend's room, entering and setting her book bag down.

Now out in the hall, she saw a light from another room open, so the curiosity got the best of her as she went door and stuck her head in the room.

"Hi, Jonathan." she greeted the boy.

The eleven year old with as of now, curly black hair and icy blue eyes, looked away from his desk. "Hi..." he checked her out to recognize her. "Are you staying the night?" he assumed.

"Yep..." Lindsay confirmed, then saw what he was doing on his desk. "What are you drawing?"

Jonathan quickly flipped his drawing paper over. "Nothing." he said, pushing his huge glasses up on his face.

"Oh...okay. Sorry." Lindsay quickly smiled for a moment, before starting back down the hall.

"Wait!" she heard. "Uh..." she stuck her head back in his room.

"Yeah?" she said.

Jonathan appeared flustered. "Promise you won't laugh?" he asked. "Cause Jade does..."

"I won't." Lindsay promised, entering his room. Jonathan's room was very basic. No special colors, or any pictures on the wall. On his night stand by his bed, only a lamp and a digital clock was set, no picture frames.

Jonathan flipped his drawing back over, and Lindsay saw it...but had no idea what it was.

"Like it?" he asked.

"...what is it?" Lindsay asked back.

"A mask," he told her. "I'm still working on the final design...'cause this just looks like a big blob." he admitted.

"A mask..." Lindsay repeated. "Halloween was last month, Jon." she reminded.

"It's not for _Halloween_," Jonathan corrected. "It's for my patients."

"Patients-? Oh that's right, you want to be a doctor, huh?" Lindsay remembered.

Jonathan nodded. "One day...I'm gonna find out what people are afraid of, but not by asking them. My mask will help." he decided.

Lindsay nodded. "And help them overcome their fear?" she guessed.

"Yeah..." now Jonathan looked into her bright brown eyes. "What are _you_ afraid of?" he blurted out.

Now Lindsay was eyes wide. "Don't tell anyone?" she asked, and he nodded. Now she glanced around the room, as if an audience of people had been watching then.

Then she finally said in a quieter voice. "Bugs. They freak me _out_." she admitted.

"_All_ bugs?" Jonathan asked.

"Yeah." she said, trying not to panic by even thinking about insects.

"Even _butterflies_?"

She shuddered. "Even butterflies."

Now Jonathan looked intrigued, just as Jade entered the room. "Is he bothering you?" she asked.

"No." Lindsay reassured, sharing a smile.

Jade raised an eye at her brother's picture. "That's _ugly_, you know." she scorned.

"No it's not," Lindsay defended. "It's just...a work in progress?" she explained, Jonathan grinning, pushing his glasses up again.

Jade rolled her eyes. "Whatever...let's get this stupid project done." she scowled. "Oh, are you hungry? Our mom started on dinner..." she offered.

"Yeah, cool." Lindsay said, following her out in the hall. "Bye, Jon." she waved.

"Bye..." Jonathan waved back slowly, and then faced back to his drawing. "Bugs, huh?" he asked to himself.

* * *

><p>"I got half the report done," Lindsay pulled out the loose leaf paper from her folder. "I wanted to you read it first, before I finished it all." she handed the paper over. "I actually had the <em>whole<em> report done but I lost it at school..." she added sadly.

Jade took it, "I did the outlines on the poster, you could help color it in." she announced, her blue eyes skimming the book report.

"Okay," Lindsay looked out her bedroom window when she saw a flash of lightning. "A storm?"

"Better than snow." Jade said.

Lindsay shrugged her shoulders. "True..."

"He's not here so you can tell me," Jade started. "My brother annoy ya?"

Lindsay shook her head, "Not at all. We were just saying hi." she admitted.

Jade rolled her eyes. "If he wasn't so nuts about people's minds and his doctor stuff, I'd say he likes you," she admitted. "Like, he has that photo of his fifth grade and our sixth grade classes when we were teamed up for Field Day last year." she explained.

"Really? I didn't see any pictures in his room." Lindsay told her.

"Probably hid it," Jade assumed. "I told him you were spending the night."

Lindsay's heart had thumped. Jonathan _knew_ she was staying over?

Then why did he ask her if she was, in the first place?

* * *

><p>Jack stopped his bike in front of Lindsay's house, her missing full-written book report in hand. He ran up the narrow sidewalk path, and up the porch steps, and then rang the doorbell.<p>

Moments later, Michael answered the door. "Jack?" he recognized the brown eyed boy. "This is unexpected..."

Jack held up the report. "This is Lindsay's," he told him. "We have a book project due tomorrow. Is there any way I can get this to her tonight?"

Michael tilted his head. "Yeah...she's at a friend's house. I can take you over there." he offered.

"That's okay, I have my bike." Jack pointed at the curb.

"Oh, no," Michael argued. "It's close to the Narrows, dangerous there. And it's going to storm. I'll drive you there." he explained.

Jack finally nodded, giving up. "Thanks..."

"No problem, you wanna put your bike in the back seat?" Michael suggested as he shut his door, stepping down the porch steps. "I can take you home after."

"Sure, thanks." Jack agreed. Michael helped him store his bike in the back, and then got in the drivers seat of his car.

He opened the passenger seat from the inside. "Thanks." Jack said as he climbed in.

"Jack, you don't have to thank me for anything." Michael told him.

Jack nodded. "Okay..." he mumbled. As Michael stuck his key in the ignition, all Jack could think about was what Lindsay could be doing at Jade and Jonathan Crane's house...


	6. Let My Love Open The Door

As Michael pulled up in front of the house, Jack was ever-too-eager to unbuckle his seat belt and get out of the car, Lindsay's report in hand.

After he walked up and knocked on the door, he waited. It started to sprinkle rain by then.

The door opened, and there was Jonathan Crane, wearing humongous glasses. Jack was tempted to call him a geek.

"Crane." he decided to say.

Jonathan pushed up his glasses. "Napier." he said back.

Jack asked, "Is Lindsay here?"

"Why?" Jonathan asked back. "You stalking her?"

"Are you?" Jack snapped at him.

"No," Jonathan retorted. "What do you want with her?"

Jack held up the report. "This is hers, can you tell her I'm here so I can give it to her?"

"I could give it to her." Jonathan offered, his bony hand shot out.

"That's okay, could I come in and give it to her-?" Jack suggested.

"No." Jonathan said flatly.

"Why not?" Jack asked.

"Because I don't like you." Jonathan declared. "I'll give it to her-"

_"DINNER'S DONE!"_ the boys both heard from behind.

Jonathan turned around just as he saw pairs of feet coming down the stairs across the room.

"Finally!" his sister groaned.

He watched Lindsay glance across at him and the door. "Jack?" she recognized.

* * *

><p>"What's wrong?" Jade asked.<p>

"Jonathan knew I was staying here tonight?" Lindsay remembered.

"Yeah?" Jade confirmed. "Why?"

"When we said hi, he asked if I was staying over," Lindsay explained.

"Huh. Maybe he wanted to make sure." Jade assumed.

Lindsay had just started to start the color fill on the poster when she heard Jade's mother yell from downstairs.

_"SOMEONE ANSWER THE DOOR!"_

"I didn't hear it knock..." Jade said. "Jonathan! Answer the door!"

The girls heard the boy groan, and then heard him exit his room and walk down the hall, and down the stairs. "You're so lazy." Lindsay teased.

Jade shrugged. "Whatevs...I like the report." she said, placing the paper down.

"Thanks." Lindsay said. She grabbed a green crayon, and lightly started to color on the poster as Jade was flipping through the book from their class.

"We better get an A plus _and_ extra credit," she grumbled, closing the book.

Lindsay nodded. "But we're not the teacher pets. He'll give us a B..."

"Ugh, he will." Jade groaned.

_"DINNER'S DONE!"_

"Yum," Jade said. "Come on..." the girls left the room and advanced down the stairs. "About _time_ dinner's done, finally..." Jade said.

Lindsay glanced across the living room to see Jonathan still at the door, a slightly taller boy with cut short brown hair and brown eyes like hers, was standing—

"Jack?" she recognized.

"Hi!" he waved over Jonathan's head. "I brought something for you!" he announced.

"For me?" Lindsay strayed away from Jade, as she stood to the right of Jonathan at the door. She placed her left hand on his shoulder as she did so.

Jonathan pushed up his glasses, to hide his smile. Jack flashed a glance at their touch, but ignored it as he held out the slip of paper. "This is yours. You left it in language arts and you were already gone before I could give it to you..."

Lindsay brushed her sunny blond streaks over her ear, and then took the paper with her right hand, her left one still on Jonathan's shoulder. "Is this my report? Oh, my _God_. Thanks Jack! This saves me some extra writing." she gushed.

"You're welcome..." Jack said, scratching the back of his head.

"So you can _go_ now, right?" Jonathan asked quickly.

"We're just about to eat, so, thanks again, I'll see you tomorrow-" Lindsay added.

"Wait," Jack grabbed her right arm, making her drop her grip on Jonathan's shoulder, completely forgetting that Michael was most likely watching them. "I got another one to tell you."

"Jack, now's not the time for-" Lindsay stopped when a crack of thunder made the sky explode. She shrieked quickly, and Jack let go of her arm.

Then it started to rain, but Jack pressed on with his joke. "What's black and white and red all over?"

Lindsay remembered this joke. It was the first one he ever told her. "A penguin with a sunburn?"

"Nope, gotcha, it's a _newspaper_." Jack corrected. "It's black, white, and not the color red. R-e-a-d." he explained.

"That's stupid." Jonathan said through the rain, pounding on the porch roof.

"It's not meant for you." Jack said coldly. Jonathan sneered, pushing up his glasses.

"Okay, Jack, nice joke, now go home..." Lindsay gave him a quick hug. As Jack turned and ran off the porch, shielding his head, she stepped back inside as Jonathan shut the door and locked it.

"Still stupid..." he muttered, and Lindsay giggled.

* * *

><p>In the trailer parks, Jack said, "Stop here."<p>

"Your trailer's up there, though." Michael pointed. He saw the boy's uncomfortable look. "What is it?"

"My...my dad doesn't know that I left..." Jack told him.

"Okay." Michael said. "I'll let you out here. Let me get your bike."

"Tha-" Jack started, but remembered what Michael said earlier.

After they got Jack's bike out, Michael said, "Take care of yourself, Jack."

"I will!" Jack yelled through the storm, running down towards his trailer with his bike.

Michael waited until he put his bike away, and then went inside his home, before going back in his car.

He backed up slowly, and drove off.

As everyone was sleeping that night, Lindsay jolted away after hearing more thunder. "I _hate_ storms..." she mumbled.

Realizing she wasn't able to fall back asleep, she quietly got up and crept out of Jade's room, and went downstairs. In the living room the TV was on, and she saw Jonathan sat on the couch.

"What are you doing up?" she asked him.

"What are _you_ doing up?" he asked back.

"The storm woke me up..." Lindsay admitted.

"Oh. Want some coffee?" Jonathan offered. "I just made some."

"You drink _coffee_?" Lindsay gaped. "No wonder you're awake..."

Jonathan shrugged. "Don't tell anyone?" he repeated her words from earlier.

Now she grinned. "I won't. I'll have coffee."

"Coming right up." Jonathan said professionally. As he turned the light on in the kitchen, Lindsay sat down at the table, plonking her head down with a groan.

As Jonathan was warming up a mug, he couldn't help but grin to himself. After what happened with Napier, he could only wonder how the next few school years would end up turning out between the three of them...


	7. I'll Rock Your Promise

**August 29, 1995**

"Lindsay," Jack said, "We're gonna get married."

Jade, who was sat with them at their breakfast table in the cafeteria, spat out her orange juice, some of the juice splashing her thin black hair strands. "_What_?" she yelped.

Lindsay was frozen with shock. "Jack," she finally said. "We're only _fourteen_." she reminded.

"I'll be fifteen soon." Jack reminded back.

Jade banged her head down on the table.

Lindsay said, "That doesn't change anything."

"Too young," Jade mumbled. "Unless you lived in Ireland. If teenagers can _drink_ there, maybe you can get married there too." she theorized. "If you guys end up _eloping_ there, I know _nothing_, if anyone asks."

Jack and Lindsay's mutual brown eyes were raised, and rolled. "Shut up." Lindsay told her best friend.

Jack reached into his pocket. "Well, we could post-pone it with this..." he held out a ring.

"Holy shit!" Jade hissed. "How the hell did you-" she stopped. "Wait, that's a _promise_ ring, huh?"

"Whoa, Jack, you seriously got one?" Lindsay gasped nearly.

"Yes," Jack said seriously. "Lindsay, I promise to wait however long it takes until you will you decide to marry me." he announced.

"What? Jack, you can't _say_ stuff like that." Lindsay scolded.

"Yes I can." Jack argued. "I don't care if you marry some other guy and have _three_ kids with him...I will wait."

"Nutty as that sounds...it's kinda sweet." Jade admitted.

Lindsay took the silver-colored ring with a single heart on it. "Okay, Jack. Promise accepted." she said.

"And Lindsay _adds_ to the nutty..." Jade exclaimed. "Way to start out freshman year, guys."

"Thanks, Miss Crane." Jack teased. Of the three, he was obviously the happiest. For starters, he wasn't _home_. He was incredibly glad school was back in session. This summer had been the _worst_...

Second, that pesky Jonathan wouldn't be there until the _next_ school year.

Third, he'd just claimed Lindsay as _his_. Take _that_, Crane punk.

Watching Lindsay admire her ring, Jack knew this was probably the only year he'd have a chance to finally _get_ her, the ring the first step.

All he had to do was _wait_...

* * *

><p>In first period choir, Mrs. Todd-Moore, the teacher, was going through the attendance, as a random ruffled hair boy came and sat next to Lindsay. "I'm Patrick." he introduced.<p>

Lindsay held out her hand, "Lindsay." she introduced back.

Shaking hands, Jade's blue eyes scanned the new green eyed boy. "Kinda random, don't you think?" she asked.

Patrick shrugged. "Just trying to be nice." he said.

"Jade Crane?" Mrs. Todd-Moore called out.

"Here." she said.

"Crane?" Patrick repeated. "You got a younger brother?" he guessed.

"_Unfortunately_, yes," Jade groaned.

"Oh, my little brother's friends with him, or..._tries_ to be." Patrick explained.

Jade rolled her eyes. "Tell him not to bother. My brother's not very social."

"He _can_ be," Lindsay defended. "You just have to _talk_ to him or..._listen_ to him."

"Oooh," Jade said sarcastically. "Don't tell Jack," she glanced at Patrick. "_Love_ affair thing they got going on." she teased.

"Oh my God, shut _up_," Lindsay scowled. "I don't _like_ your brother. He's like _my_ brother too." she corrected.

"Yeah, whatever," Jade said. "Ten years from now you'll pitch that promise ring down the drain, and cry _all_ night 'cause you can't pick which guy you want..."

"Patrick Logan?"

"Here," he waved. "That sounds interesting." he told the girls.

"Oh it is. They should write a book about it..._Tragic Teenage Love Affair_," Jade chimed.

"For the love of..." Lindsay gave up.

"Hey Patrick, be honest, what name sounds cooler? Lindsay _Crane_, or Lindsay _Napier_?" Jade asked.

"Hmmm, Napier definitely." Patrick decided. "Is that the other boy, Jack? I know him a little." he admitted.

"Suck up." Jade scowled.

"Lindsay Stark?"

"Here," she said, then added in a low voice, "And it's gonna _stay_ that way."

Jade only grinned.

* * *

><p>Jack waited near the door to choir. He wasn't into singing, but Lindsay was. Before she moved away, Jack could hear her sing at night, or on the weekends, when she had her window open. He really missed that.<p>

She always sounded beautiful, like a church choir or an _angel_. She didn't want to be a singer when she grew up, in fact, she still didn't know what she wanted to do with her life.

Jack wouldn't care _what_ she decided. As long as he could be there with her, and support her. As long as no one got in the way...

He hoped she wouldn't take it seriously about marrying some other guy and having three kids. Jack would be _destroyed_ to everything if that 'other guy' wasn't him.

His heart thumped when he saw the double doors swing open, Lindsay walking out with a smile and laugh on her face...talking to a boy.

_Calm down_, Jack told himself. Just a _boy_...just _another_ boy...it was _okay_...she was _allowed_ to have guy friends...

But even Jonathan Crane was just _another boy_ too. "Relax," Jade snapped him back to reality. "If Patrick tries for her, I'll beat the _shit_ out of him, okay?" she reassured.

"Patrick Logan?" no wonder the boy looked familiar. "You'd do that?" Jack asked.

"Yeah," Jade confirmed. "Love triangle, _okay_. Quadruple triangle, _no_." she decided.

"You guys coming?" Lindsay asked from up ahead, flipping back her sunny blond streaks behind her. "We all have health together next." she said excitedly.

"Yeah," Jade told her from behind.

"_Love_ triangle?" Jack repeated in a whisper.

"Yeah, you know...Lindsay, you, and my brother," Jade reminded. "Lindsay won't accept it, but, I _know_ my brother." she whispered back.

"What do you mean?" Jack demanded.

Jade huffed. "I noticed it last year, when Jonathan joined us back at the junior high. Look, my brother's a real asshat, right?" she started. "But when _she's_ around? _Total_ kiss-ass to me and my mom." she announced.

Maybe she shouldn't have said anything. Now Jack looked pissed.

"It's okay," she told him. "Your name _does_ sound cooler than ours, anyway." she sighed.

"Huh?" Jack asked with slight annoyance.

"Nah...never mind. Hmmm..._Tragic Teenage Love Affair_..." Jade recited.

"You're joking, right?" Jack asked her.

"No, that's _your_ job," Jade corrected. "Say, do you have a pen I could borrow?"

* * *

><p><strong>LOL! Feel free to answer Jade's question about the cooler name if you'd like. Thanks always!<br>**


	8. Take Your Place Inside The Fire

**I like how everyone is loving on Jack, and hating on Jonathan lmao! I do not own the name Patrick Logan. If you know John Barrowman, then you know why.  
><strong>

* * *

><p>In the last class, Geography, the trio was sat in the far corner of the room. The teacher not in yet, Jade used this time to take out her writing notebook, still using Jack's pen.<p>

Lindsay shared a grin as her new friend, Patrick, sat in the desk in front of her. Jade, to the right of Patrick, raised an eye to him, as Jack, sat behind her, and next to Lindsay, scowled to himself.

"Still working on that story?" Patrick assumed.

Jade nodded. "Got about two pages done." she informed.

That was when the teacher walked in finally as the bell rang. A tall man, with combed back gray-white hair, and blue eyes a bit too shiny. Contacts no doubt. "Freshmen," he said in a loud voice. "Good afternoon. I know none of you chose this class, but you have to take Geography to graduate." he explained.

Jack leaned left towards Lindsay, "Remember dog-ruff-e?" he reminded in a whisper.

Lindsay rolled her bright brown eyes. "You and your jokes." she whispered back.

"It's cold in here." one student said sarcastically, chuckles following out.

"Get used to it." the teacher countered. He turned to write his name on the board. Lindsay glanced around. Jade had most likely not heard anything the teacher said so far, too busy in her writing. Patrick rested his head on his fist. Jack had a sour look on his face.

Jade finally glanced up towards the chalkboard in front of the room, her blue eyes immediately raised.. "How do you say that?" she asked. "B-R-A-A-T-E-N." she spelled.

"Brah-ten," the teacher pronounced.

"Oh, it rhymes with rotten," Jade realized, muffled laughs erupting from other students. "Okay."

Braaten gave her a quick glare, and then started to lecture like every other teacher did on the first day of school. Rules, expectations, supplies, attendance, so forth. When he finished after about a half an hour, he sat down at his messy desk, everyone talking quickly.

"You're such a smart alec, Jade." Lindsay teased.

Jade turned around to face her. "I didn't hear anything he said, besides colored pencils. Why do we need those?"

Patrick chuckled as Lindsay said, "He said we'd be making and coloring a lot of maps."

"Eww," Jade whined. "Oh well," she sighed. "High school already sucks."

* * *

><p>"So your key is still missing?"<p>

Jade and Lindsay were on the bus. Due to the sudden disappearance of her key, Lindsay had to go home with Jade.

"Yeah, my dad can't make it to the store to get a new one until the weekend," Lindsay explained.

"So you stay at my house til your dad gets off work and comes get you?" Jade summed up. "Jack won't like that, you know. I don't know what's with him—oh shit, I forgot to give him his pen back."

As their bus left Gotham High School, Lindsay slumped in her seat. "Oh, crud. That stupid court hearing's today..." Jade mumbled.

"For what?" Lindsay asked.

"My dad's trying to get custody of me and Jon. He can't stand us so I don't know why he wants us." Jade explained.

"I'm sorry." Lindsay said, frowning.

"Nah, he won't win," Jade reassured. "He doesn't play CS, so a big 'go to hell' for him." she grinned.

"I hope he loses. I'd miss you." Lindsay teased.

Jade raised an eye, pulling her long charcoal colored hair into a bun. "Would you miss _me_, or my _brother_?" she asked mischievously.

"Both of you." Lindsay corrected.

"Uh-huh, whatever." Jade rolled her eyes teasingly.

When the bus stopped at the street Jade lived on, the girls and a few upperclassmen all got off. Jade's house was the third one down on the left. Lindsay gazed upon the distance, and said, "The bridge to the Narrows is up."

"Fuck the Narrows," Jade said. Reaching her house, up the porch and at the door, Jade scowled as she took the mail from the mailbox. "Stupid little..." she stormed inside and yelled, "You forgot to get the mail, dummy!"

Jonathan, who was now thirteen, stuck his head out from the kitchen, and was prepared to give a negative response, but saw that there was a guest. "Sorry." he said quickly, pushing up his glasses.

"Whatever," Jade tossed the mail down on the coffee table. "Are you making dinner?" she asked him.

Jonathan nodded. "Yes." he looked at Lindsay. "Are you staying?" he asked.

"Ask your dad if you can stay the night." Jade suggested. Jonathan nodded in agreement, appearing to like the idea very much.

"Alright." Lindsay said.

* * *

><p>An hour later, Lindsay and Jade were in the living room, sat on the floor doing stretches, when Jonathan had come down the stairs.<p>

"Do I even wanna know?" he pondered.

"No! Shut up! You're distracting our counts!" Jade hissed. "18, 19, 20, switch."

Pulling one leg in, and the other out, Lindsay requested, "Jon? can you get me some water?"

"Sure." Jonathan pushed his glasses up as he turned to enter the kitchen, to the left of the stairs if you faced them.

"Me too." Jade added.

Not wanting to make anything obvious, Jonathan grumpily said, "Fine." as he lounged for the cupboards.

"Alright Lind, toe touches for twenty seconds." Jade announced.

As Lindsay did, she asked, "Did you just call me 'Lind'?"

Jade shrugged. "You don't have a nickname?" she wondered.

Lindsay shrugged back, shaking her head to get her sunny blond streaks out of her face, since she was unable to use her hands. "My mom called me Linny when I was a baby, I think." she remembered.

Jonathan walked back in with two glasses of water. "Thank you." Lindsay said, immediately draining half the glass.

The front door opened then, and a lady with brunette hair in a bun, very similar to Jade, strolled in with some bags of groceries. "Ohh, major temp difference." she sighed.

"Hi, Mom." Jade greeted.

"Hey," Colleen Curran, formerly Colleen Crane, handed the grocery bags to her son. "There's more in the car. I gotta hustle." she said, heading for the stairs.

"Why?" Jade asked, as Lindsay stood up.

"Damn hearing's in an hour." Colleen announced, skipping every other step on the stairs.

"I'll help with the bags," Lindsay offered, following Jonathan outside to the driveway. When they reached the car, Lindsay noticed that the boy's hands were shaking. "What's wrong?" she asked.

"Nothing." he said, opening the passenger door.

"Jonathan, you can tell me," Lindsay told him. "It's okay. I won't tell anyone."

* * *

><p>Jack was laid on his back on his bed, holding Lindsay's house key in his hands. He wasn't thinking straight when he snatched the key from her back pack, but he did take it.<p>

Hearing a crash from outside his room, Jack got up and exited his room and ventured towards the kitchen when saw a trail of blood alongside his mother's arm.

"You try something like that again, and your whole arm comes off," his father threatened, and then eyed his son. "What the hell are you looking at, Jack? Go back to your room." he hissed.

Too afraid to bargain, Jack glanced fearfully at his mother, disappearing back into his room. As he shut the door, he could hear his parents start to scream at each other.

Jack sat down, his back against the door, wrapping his arms around his legs. He waited for a while, until he heard the car outside turn on, and drive away. Getting up, he left his room and returned out to the kitchen to see his mom wrapping a bandage around her arm.

"Mom?" he said.

"Yes, Jack?" she said, obvious tears in her eyes.

"Why don't we leave?" Jack asked. "Why can't we get away from him?"

His mother shook her head. "Because he'll find us, Jack. He'll always find us." she told him. "Come here," she waved him over.

Jack stepped up to her as she pulled him into a longing hug. "I'm so sorry it's like this for us," she said, sniffling. "I love you so much." she added. "I always will, sweetie."

Jack decided to hug her back. "Love you too," he said.

* * *

><p>After Michael had dropped off some clean clothes for Lindsay for tomorrow, she, Jade, and Jonathan were all sat on the porch steps, waiting for Colleen to return.<p>

"If anything, you guys can run away and move in with me." Lindsay offered.

Jade sighed. "Let's hope it doesn't get to that," she said.

Jonathan nodded, pushing up his glasses.

"Go start dinner for Mom," Jade urged. "Hell, it could be the last one you make for her." she thought sadly.

"Don't freaking say that," Jonathan said angrily, standing up and going inside.

"Jade, really, come on," Lindsay scolded. "What if you have to go live with your dad?" she questioned.

Jade shrugged. "Then life fucked us all in the end," she decided. Her eyes were wide when her mother's car then pulled into the driveway.

"What happened?" she demanded as Colleen exited the car. Lindsay held her breath, already feeling very afraid.

But Colleen smiled instead. "You're not going anywhere. Told him to suck his sunshine."

Jade, not expecting this, was eyes wide as tears formed. Now she started to cry in relief, as Lindsay put a hand on her shoulder. "That's great," she said.

Obviously hearing his sister crying, Jonathan rushed out onto the porch, very alert. "What happened?" he asked.

Lindsay turned around and gave him a thumbs up.

Jonathan was stunned, and then laughed a little. "Look who's the one crying now." he teased.

"Shut up," Jade said, rubbing her nose.

"Both of you... oh hell with it, all three of you, come here," Colleen grouped the three kids to bear hug them all tightly.

The battle had been won, but the war had just begun.

* * *

><p>That night, Jack noticed from in his room that it was too quiet outside. He checked outside his window, his dad hadn't returned yet, and most likely wouldn't until the next morning.<p>

Leaving his room, he said, "Mom?" no answer. "Mom?" he repeated.

Checking his parents room, she wasn't there. Checking the bathroom, also empty. "Mom?" Jack called, entering the also empty living room. He opened the front door and yelled out, "Mom?"

Shutting the door, Jack turned around and immediately froze.

In the kitchen, on the floor, by the sink, was his mother. It looked like she fell back and landed on her back and head. "Mom!" Jack nearly screamed, running over.

Holding her head up, her eyes were closed. "Mom!" Jack put his fingers to the side of her neck.

No pulse.

Then he noticed the tilted over pill bottles on the ground, one or two more on the counter. Jack grabbed the bottles on the ground.

...they were empty. All of them.

Dropping the bottles, Jack violently shook his mother. "Mom!" he shrieked. _"Mom!"_


	9. I Can Feel The Animal Inside

When Saturday came, the cheapest funeral home in Gotham City was in use. "Why are we here?" Jonathan asked grumpily, trying to pull out the collar of his suit.

"Because Jack's mom died," Jade reminded. "Quit being a little shithead." she hissed.

"I'm not," Jonathan reassured. "I just don't get why I'm here..." he boringly rubbed his icy blue eyes.

"Because Mom said so. You know Jack." Jade explained.

"I know him enough to dislike him," Jonathan corrected.

"Jon, please, now's not the time to pull off the jealous act. His mom _died_. Have sympathy or something." Jade scowled. "What if it was our mom?" she asked. "You'd appreciate everyone who showed up."

"Don't say that, you'll jinx Mom's life now." Jonathan pushed up his glasses. "But, fine. How did Mrs. Napier die?" he asked.

"She OD'd." Jade whispered. "Totally killed herself..."

"The term is _overdose_, and _suicide_." Jonathan corrected.

"Whatever doc." Jade said with an eye roll.

In the alter, Jack was sat in the front, closest to the open casket. Lindsay was sat next to him, overhearing her parents from behind.

"We're very sorry for your loss." Joanna said.

"Your wife was a lovely lady." Michael added.

"Yes..." Jack's father said, sniffling in a way that sounded fake to Lindsay. "I loved her so much..."

"It's his fault," Jack muttered. "It's his fault..."

"Shh," Lindsay quieted. "Just don't talk, okay? Sit in silence." she suggested.

"She was all I had," Jack said with remorse. "Mom...now I have no one..." tears finally sprung the surface of his brown eyes.

"You have me," Lindsay reminded. "I'm here for you." she assured.

"Always?" Jack hoped.

"Always." Lindsay promised.

"Uh, hey..."

The couple turned around to see the black haired, blue eyed, Crane siblings, standing awkwardly. "Hey." Lindsay said back.

"Sorry for your loss, Jack," Jade said. Jack stood up as she walked around to hug him. "I don't know what you're going through, so I don't really know what to say...I suck at this stuff..." she mumbled.

"Thanks." Jack mumbled back. He wasn't sure how long to hug her. Maybe he'd make Jonathan mad by hugging her for a long time.

"All that matters is that you came." Lindsay said. She couldn't find the energy to fake a smile.

Jack released the hug, and then tried not to actually smile, while holding his out to Jonathan.

Jonathan gave him a big, bug-eyed stare, but then finally took his hand firmly, slowly shaking it.

"How's your dad doing?" Jade wondered curiously.

"Don't care," Jack shrugged. "Putting on an act. I wished it was him who died."

"Why-?" Jade found herself asking.

"He doesn't care, he's never cared." Jack told her.

"I'm sorry," Jade said. "Maybe...maybe this will make him realize all the bad thing's he's done." she theorized, sitting down next to Lindsay.

Jonathan sat down next to his sister, pushing up his glasses slowly.

* * *

><p>A week after the death, and two days after the funeral, which was now Monday, Lindsay could tell that Jack was starting to change.<p>

She'd made her way towards her locker in the freshman hallway, when a couple of junior boys approached her. "Wanna buy some bubble gum?" one offered.

Yeah, they were obviously high. "No." Lindsay said.

Jack made his way up the stairs, towards the freshman hallway, accepting condolences from fellow classmates he'd shared classes with.

"Hey man," Patrick greeted. "I'm sorry about your mom." he said. "I know what it's like." he admitted.

"Thanks." Jack said quietly.

"See ya in Health or something with the girls." Patrick assumed, waving with two fingers.

"Yeah." Jack nodded, watching him off.

* * *

><p>"Believe me, it's way better than the gum you buy at the store."<p>

"I believe you," Lindsay said. "But, no," she strolled past them.

"You sure?" they asked.

"Yes." Lindsay said, slightly annoyed. She started to fumble with her lock.

"You have crazy hair, you know that?" one boy asked. "Up close, it's blond. But from way back, it almost looks white."

"Is it natural?" the third boy asked.

"Yes." Lindsay opened her locker.

That was when one of the boys grabbed her forearm. "Come on, try some bubble gum." he urged.

"Let go of me!" Lindsay snapped, panicking.

She gasped lightly when she saw a thick textbook _**thud**_ against the back of her captor's head. He released her arm, dazed, and Lindsay saw _Jack_.

He grabbed the junior boy and pinned him against the lockers. Jack waved the textbook back to hit him again.

"Holy—"

"What the—"

"Jack!"

_**POUND**_. The book hit the boy crooked, thudding his other cheek against the lockers loudly, him crying out like his jaw had been broken. Maybe it was.

Some teachers finally appeared then, separating the boys. Lindsay saw Mr. Braaten approach them. "Put the book down." he ordered Jack.

The book dropped to the ground loudly. "To the office, now." an older, lady teacher ordered everyone.

Hesitantly proceeding down the hallway, Lindsay whispered, "What was that?" angrily.

"He touched you." Jack spoke coldly.

Lindsay remained silent. Jack never had an outburst like this before. Was it because of his mother? It had to be. Lindsay thought about this as they neared the office.

She just hoped it wouldn't be a continuous action.

* * *

><p>Now the principal, Mr. Potts, who had curly brown hair, with a threatening tint of red revealing under bright light, and brown eyes, was sat at his desk, Lindsay on the opposite side, fiddling with her fingers nervously.<p>

"What happened?" he asked calmly.

Lindsay gulped a little. "I was going to my locker when those older boys wouldn't leave me alone. One of them took my arm...and Jack reacted." she explained.

"To defend you?" Mr. Potts assumed.

Lindsay nodded. "He kinda...cares about me, in a certain way." she tried to make that sound normal.

"Okay," Mr. Potts said. "Nothing else happened?" he asked.

"No, sir. But, please, give him a break. His mom just died." Lindsay begged quietly.

That threw Mr. Potts off. "Oh," he clearly was not expecting that. "I'll give him the slip this time," he decided.

"Thank you." Lindsay said, full of relief.

"You need a pass back to class?" Mr. Potts offered.

"Yes, thank you." Lindsay said again.

Now in the choir room, Lindsay sat down as Jade asked, "Why you late?"

"Jack beat the crap out of someone." Lindsay told her.

"Nice." Patrick said.

"Dang," Jade rolled. "That's not good." she noted.

Lindsay pulled out her music. "I know..." she knew this fact, but didn't know what to do about it.

Really, was there anything she could do? She comforted Jack as much as she could but...she didn't think it was enough.

As she joined the class with their daily signing, she'd had no idea this would be the start of many more terrible things to come their way.


	10. Why Can't We Be Friends?

**This is one of those chapters where a lot of things happen in a short amount of time, so it may appear to be rushed. And, for the sake of sanity, since no one knows exactly where Gotham is, why don't we play along in locating it in New York state:)**

**You've all seen _A Knight's Tale_, right? Of course you have. I just watched it today. Heath was so adorable ^_^ but then again, isn't he adorable as the Joker too?  
><strong>

* * *

><p>In the last class that day, Mr. Braaten was doing the attendance as the principal, Mr. Potts, strolled in to speak with him, most likely about Jack and Lindsay no doubt.<p>

Meanwhile the students were working on their own blank maps of the USA, filling in the states and capitals. "What's Vermont?" Jade asked.

"Montpelier?" Patrick guessed.

Jade shrugged. "Who cares." she wrote the name under where she wrote the state.

"Crane." Braaten called out.

"Too bad I'm here." Jade called back, some kids laughing. Mr. Potts gave her a _watch yourself_ glare, and she only grinned at the invisible threat.

"What's Nebraska?" Lindsay asked.

"Lincoln?" Jack heavily assumed.

"Alaska...Juneau..." Jade remembered to herself.

"Juneau how much Jade hates this class?" Jack asked.

"First joke you said in a while. Not bad." Jade praised. Lindsay grinned. Maybe Jack was getting back to normal now. "Wisconsin's Madison, right?" Jade assumed.

"Yes." Lindsay confirmed.

"How 'bout Florida? I know it's not Miami, but I wish." Jade questioned.

"Tallahassee," a student in front of her told her.

"Thanks," she told him. "And Jack's right. Juneau _exactly_ how much I think this class sucks."

* * *

><p><strong>October 31, 1995<br>**

"I'mma zombie. I ate all your brains."

Joanna had finished applying light white makeup on her daughter's face as Jade, face covered in dark green makeup, was frail at holding her hands out, bent at the wrists, moaning.

Jonathan was struggling with putting his contacts on. "I hate these things." he mumbled.

"Scarecrows don't wear glasses, so suck it up, or I could eat you to shut you up." Jade told him. "Oooh...little brother brains...they taste like nerds..."

His face turned red as Lindsay busted out laughing at Jade's zombie imitation.

Michael was holding the scarecrow mask. "Very nicely done, Jonathan," he praised. "The stuffing, too." he added.

"Thank you." Jonathan said politely. He had on a sweater and sweat pants, both stuffed full with shredded paper. Perfect for a Scarecrow...

"You getting some gray hairs there, Mr. Stark?" Jade teased.

"What?" Michael said. "Where?" he demanded.

"I was kidding." Jade giggled.

As Michael narrowed one eye at her, Joanna spoke, "Where did Jack go?" she asked. "You know, I think he's avoiding me..."

"Why?" Jade asked her.

"He lost his mother. Maybe being around another mother like me makes him uncomfortable, or upset," Joanna theorized. "I don't want him to feel like that. He knows he's always welcome around us."

Michael swore he heard Jonathan mutter a remark, but chose to shake it off.

Speaking of the Devil, Jack himself, who was now the oldest of the group since the previous month, fifteen years, came bundling in excitedly. "Is there any more white makeup?" he asked.

Joanna pushed the tube container towards him, as she applied a single line of eyeliner under both of Lindsay's eyes. "Dried blood tears, scary..." she murmured.

"Your hair totally gives the dead bride vibe," Jade gave the thumbs up. "Where's the lucky undead groom?" her blue eyes darted between Jack and her brother.

"Hey now, don't be talking about _marriage_," Michael said. "I'm not ready to be _old_ yet." he told them.

"Mr. Stark, I think I was being serious when I saw those grays on the back of your head..." Jade pointed at him.

"Where's the veil?" Jack asked randomly.

"By Jon." Lindsay pointed over.

"AH," Jonathan said loudly. "_Got_ it!" he completed inserting in his contacts.

"Whoa, bro," Jade said. "Your eyes went from light blue to like, cobalt blue." she told him.

"Really?" he asked, looking in the mirror. "Oh, wow..."

"We got zombie," Jade pointed at herself. "Scarecrow," pointed at her brother. "Dead bride," pointed at Lindsay. "And...whoa, Jack."

Everyone glanced towards the dresser mirror to see Jack transformed. He let his curly hair ruffled out. His face plastered with white makeup. Red on his lips, black around his eyes.

"...and a clown..." Jade guessed. "Going classic, I see."

"You look scary." Lindsay admitted.

"Really?" Jack asked. "I don't like clowns, so this could be ironic..." he trailed.

"Pass the veil, honey," Joanna requested. Jonathan did so, watching her latch it onto Lindsay's head. "Beautiful," she chimed. "Time for pictures!" she announced.

As she pulled out a Polaroid, Lindsay said, "Jonathan, take a picture without your mask, and then one with your mask."

"Alright." he agreed, leaving his unusual mask off for now. Even Lindsay was a bit freaked out by it.

After taking the first picture, he placed the mask on, as Jack pulled the veil down over Lindsay's face. "Maybe one day that'll be me flipping your veil back." Jack whispered.

Lindsay blushed, "We'll see. As long as you stay out of trouble and fights." she scolded.

"I'm going to get more candy. I'm scarier." Jonathan declared after the second picture was taken.

"No way, geek. I'm the scariest 'cause I'm _dead_." Jade argued.

"Me too." Lindsay agreed.

"Girls rule, boys drool," Jade teased with optimism.

"Bring it on." Jack glowered.

* * *

><p>"No <em>way<em> you have the most candy!"

Jade lifted up her filled pillowcase from the scale. "IN YOUR...guys?" she and Jonathan looked towards the living room to see Jack and Lindsay trading candy.

"I already know the face you're making. Cut it out." Jade scolded. "But Jack's smiling...Linny's like a good drug to him." she noticed.

Lindsay glanced at them then, some of her sunny blond streaks sticking to her white-covered face. "Either of you wanna trade me a Butterfinger for a Babe Ruth?" she offered.

"I will." Jonathan threw his mask down, joining her on the floor with Jack, rifling through his pillowcase, Jade joining.

Nearly three hours later, well past midnight, Jack was still on the floor, eating an odd mix of candy, popcorn, and soda. Jade was slouched on the couch, the both of them watching _The Terminator._

"Lindsay has the second one, right?" Jade asked quickly. "That came out a couple years ago, right?" she clearly had had too much sugar. Jack nodded to her.

In the kitchen, Jonathan and Lindsay were having their usual coffee routine. "Now we'll never get any sleep," Lindsay teased, mixing in sugar and creamer. "Here you are, Mr. Scarecrow." she sat down his cup in front of him at the table.

"Thank you-"

Jade came in then, flipping back her black hair. "You have juice, right? You'll pour me a glass, right?" she asked.

"You okay?" Lindsay questioned.

"Oh yeah. I'm fine. Just tired. You have juice, right? You'd give me some, right?" Jade spoke hysterically.

"Yes, calm down, sit." Lindsay grabbed a cup and took out the orange juice.

Pouring a glass, Jonathan said, "You're just hyper."

"Me? No, no. Just tired. And thirsty. I'm good, right?" Jade reassured.

"If you say _right_ one more time." Lindsay warned. She placed down the cup.

Jade accepted the drink and divulged it in one gulp. "Much better." she said.

"Good, now go watch Arnold be a ninja." Lindsay suggested.

"WILL DO." Jade got up and exited the kitchen. She lazily lounged back on the sofa. "Ugh..." she scowled.

"Well?" Jack demanded.

"I can't believe you made me pull that _off_," Jade hissed. "Well, they're just drinking coffee. Relax. Now hand over all your Snickers, joker boy. A deal's a deal, right?"

"Yes," Jack said. "I'm a man of my word."

* * *

><p><strong>November 2, 1995<br>**

"This is interesting." Patrick said cautiously.

"It is." Jade agreed completely.

Mr. Braaten was reading the front cover. "No comment, I assume." Jade spoke, folding her arms. Mr. Braaten was silent.

**_Tragic Teenage Love Affair_**

_Starring: Lindsay Stark, Jack Napier, Jonathan Crane_

_By: Jade Crane_

Mr. Braaten turned the page.

_Dedicated to Mr. Braaten, who gives me too much to do in his class._

Mr. Braaten closed the book, and handed it back. "Thought so." Jade started to skip back to her seat. "Linny," she chimed. "How are you today?"

"I feel like crap," Lindsay groaned, her head on her desk. "Your brother made drink too much coffee this weekend..."

"He does that." Jade closed her notebook. "He'll be up all night on weekends. Doing his nerdy things. In life, he will _never_ get laid." she said

Patrick tried not to snicker as Lindsay argued, "You never know. He's a good looking kid..." she made sure to avoid Jack's face. "...I'm sure he'll find someone for him."

Jade snorted.

Jack decided to say, "What would we do without Jade?" he asked.

"I wouldn't drink coffee with her brother." Lindsay said.

"I wouldn't help her cheat a test in this class." Patrick added.

"I wouldn't have a best friend." Lindsay grinned.

"I wouldn't have a story to read." Patrick pointed at the infamous notebook.

As they continued to list, Mr. Braaten muttered, "Oh, Lord..."

* * *

><p><strong>Ahhh, Jade. Great kid. You'll leave a review...right? Lol :) I will be conducting an experiment on the next chapter, writing it in first person, see how that works out...<strong>


	11. That's Not Why I Love You

**This is a beta first-person chapter. I wanted to experiment :P  
><strong>

* * *

><p>"I can't believe your dad agreed to let you come home with me everyday."<p>

I shifted my back pack in my lap around. "Your house is on the way home from his work, so he doesn't care." I told her.

"Good deal," Jade said. "Now maybe my brother won't be such a little annoying freak around me." she murmured.

My brown eyes narrowed at her. "He's not a—"

"Look," she cut me off. "Last night, he was acting really weird. Kept asking us about fear or something. He was like, 'What if we knew how to control our fears?' and stuff like that." she explained. "I think he was high or something." she shrugged.

Well, that was strange. Really. I remember when Jonathan asked me what I was afraid of...

Bugs...I shuddered now as I said, "He's really into the whole concept of fears and minds, huh?"

Jade shrugged. "He's still a weirdo. But, it's usually the weird ones that make themselves rich and famous one day." she realized.

"Right," I nodded. "Like you. Crazy Jade the Journalist." I teased.

She raised a blue eye at me. "Is that a compliment?" she asked.

"Yes ma'am." I winked.

* * *

><p>Now inside Jade's house, I was sat at the kitchen table, hand over my temple. "What's the matter?" Jonathan questioned me.<p>

"Just a headache," I mumbled. I didn't get headaches often, but when they came, they pounded like hammer and nails.

Jonathan seemed to smile sheepishly. "Hold on," he disappeared out of the kitchen. Silence filled the air until he soon returned, a glass of water and pills in his hand.

"Here. Take these. It should help." he said, placing the items down.

"Thank you doc," I told him, swallowing the pills with the water. "Is this gonna be one of those deals where when you're a real doctor and I need like painkillers without a subscription you'd illegally get them for me?" I asked.

Jonathan flashed a million dollar smile. Oh, gosh. Good thing Jade was upstairs. She'd make fun of my reaction for sure. "I would do that if you ever asked." he said.

I decided to smile back. "Good to know." I told him. "Oh, hey, you think you could help with my biology homework? I have to read this stupid article about brain cells and answer some questions. I couldn't even understand the first freaking sentence..."

Opening my book bag to take out my folder, Jonathan pulled a chair next to mine to the table. "Sure," he said.

As I handed him the article, he seemed to notice my right hand. "Nice ring," he said, holding the paper in both hands.

I glanced at the promise ring, now thinking of Jack. Jack...I put both of my hands together close to my chest. "You okay?" Jon asked me, slightly worried.

"I'm fine." I told him. I took out the paper with the article questions. A wave of guilt rushed over me right then. What was it-? I tried to ignore it...I always felt this way around Jonathan. Like I was betraying Jack somehow. But I wasn't...was I?

Now I wanted to talk to him. "Can I use your phone?" I asked.

Jonathan pointed to the house phone in the living room. "Thanks," I got up and ventured out, taking the phone. I dialed the number to Jack's home, hoping someone would answer.

_"Who's this."_ Jack's father asked angrily when he answered. I winced a little at his dark tone.

"Can I speak to Jack?" I asked him.

_"Whatever..._" I heard him yell off the phone, and then silent for a moment.

_"...hello?"_ I smiled when Jack's voice broke the silence.

"Hey," I said cheerfully. "I just wanted to say hi."

Hearing me must have brightened his day. _"Okay,"_ he said. _"Where ya at?"_ he asked curiously.

"At Jade's," I told him. "Trying to figure out my science homework."

_"Oh...that article?"_ he assumed. _"It's the dumbest thing I ever read."_ he admitted. _"Need any help?"_ he asked.

"No, no, Jade's reading it over," I lied. "Think we'll be alright..." I hated lying. But it'd kill his mood if I told him Jonathan was the one helping me. "But I'll call you if I do."

_"Alright. Oh, Lindsay, why were the early days of history called the dark ages?"_ Jack asked.

"I have no idea," I said.

_"Because there were so many knights!"_ he said. _"Get it? Knights like the soldiers...dark ages, knights..."_

I giggled. "That's a good one, but, you and your jokes..."

* * *

><p>Now in the car, I glanced over the answers to the brain cell questions. Jonathan was a strange, but interesting boy for sure. Really smart, I'll give him that. Jade's too hard on him...<p>

Dad sighed, changing the radio stations. Last thing I heard before he changed it was something about Wayne Tower or something like that. That one tall tower in the city.

I remember when I heard about how little Bruce Wayne's parents were killed right in front of him. Some guy named Chill, Chilton, or something. That was a while ago though.

I don't think I've ever _seen_ Bruce. I don't even know how _old_ he is. He's at least younger than me, or older.

Now on the radio when dad stopped on another station, was a report about a robbery in The Narrows. Nothing new. Doesn't surprise me.

I looked up and over at my dad. He looked tired. Then again, he always did. He really was starting to get gray hair. Jade wasn't kidding.

"Dad?" I said to him.

"Yeah?" he said back.

I put my homework away, feeling nervous. I snuck a look at my promise ring. Maybe this wasn't a good time.

I told Mom this last night. Now I had to tell my dad. "Can I tell you something?"

"Of course," he waited for me to speak. "...what is it?"

"I love Jack," I blurted. Oh, _crap_! That's not how I wanted to say that! I wanted to give it a slow approach! I felt my face go bright red.

Dad sighed. "You've loved that boy since you met him." he said.

"You're okay with it-?" I asked him, now shocked.

"Do I have a choice?" he asked back. "As long as you're happy...then I'm okay with it. Jack's a good kid." he explained.

I leaned over to give him an awkward hug. "Thank you," I mumbled.

"You're welcome." he said, just as quietly.

* * *

><p>Jack was laying on his bed, hearing his father rambling in the living room. Drunk no doubt. When was he not?<p>

He held out a picture of his mother he managed to find before his father ruined or trashed anything that was hers after she died. A pang of guilt hit him then, he tried to shake it off.

He did so by realizing he didn't have a picture of Lindsay. He'd have to get one somehow...

Next month was December. Her birthday...he shook that thought away too. The Winter Ball dance was in December. Jack would have to ask Lindsay to go with him to it. He'd get a picture then.

It was a plan.

Jack slid his picture under his pillow and sat up. His father stopped yelling then. Probably sick of his own voice by now. Jack snorted.

_"JACK!"_

Groaning, he got up and exited his room. Entering the living room he asked, "What?"

"You got any money? I'm out of liquor." his dad asked.

"No," Jack said.

"You lying to me?" he asked him.

"No," Jack repeated.

His dad scowled. "Ask your girlfriend for money. Get it by tonight." he ordered.

Jack nodded. "Okay..."

"My head hurts like a motherfucker. Don't wake me up." his father shoved him almost to the floor as he strolled by, going down the hall to his bedroom.

Jack brushed his shoulder, painfully wincing. He went for the phone, and started dialing a number, but then he stopped. "Fuck you." he mumbled, and set the phone down.


	12. I'm An Ordinary Man

Thanksgiving vacation was getting closer as the days passed, the weather getting cold. Threatening to snow. Snow in Gotham was always bad, snow days always, as Jade would say.

In second period Health, Lindsay sat quietly, rubbing her sniffling nose. She wasn't feeling the greatest.

"You okay Linny?" Jade asked her. "I like your hair. A white-blonde bun? Very nice." she commented.

Lindsay shook her head. "Thanks. I feel terrible. I wanna go home." she moaned.

"Ask the teacher if you can go to the nurse," Jade suggested.

Lindsay shook her head again. "No one's home." she told her.

"My mom is," Jade said. "She's on your emergency contacts, right?" she remembered.

"Think so," Lindsay agreed.

Jack was sat on the opposite side of the room. Stupid assigned seats.

Mrs. Felice was going on about _suicide _today, how it was the worst thing you could do. "None of you should _ever _feel alone," she said. "You have people who care about you, and would help you if—"

"My mom didn't," Jack growled at her. "She was alone. No one could help her, not even me. So she _killed _herself." he explained angrily.

Everyone in the room paused.

"Jack, I know it's hard—" Mrs. Felice reassured him.

"No you don't!" Jack yelled. He stood up from his chair now. "Your brother killed himself a few years ago? He wasn't even your _brother_! Your parents _adopted _him from _Thailand_!" he roared. "This was my _mom_. So why don't you _shut _the hell up before you talk like you know _anything_!"

Everyone gasped now. At his table, was four people. Him on the end, two girls and another boy he never spoke too all scooted away fearfully as Jack angrily tipped their table over to the ground. He quickly turned and trudged out of class.

Everyone was frozen as Lindsay immediately got up and followed him out. "Jack!" she cried.

"Fuck off!" he yelled, not turning back. "Leave me alone—"

"_Jack _Napier," Lindsay scowled, and he stopped.

"Lindsay," he said quietly, turning to face her. As he did, the unexpected happened. Lindsay came up, placed her hands on his face, putting her lips onto his. All of Jack's anger was swept away as he realized she was kissing him.

_Whoa..._

He grasped her face as well, passively returning the kiss. What was this feeling-? He'd never felt like this before…he didn't want it to stop.

"Holy shit, guys, _stop_!" a high pitched voice made Jack and Lindsay pull apart.

A dark brunette girl with blue eyes was waving wildly at them. "I heard that Commissioner Loeb was visiting our school today." she told them. "Mr. Potts would have your _heads_ off if Loeb caught you doing that in the hallway." she explained.

"Why's Loeb visiting here?" Lindsay asked. "What does he care?"

The girl shrugged. "Just thought I'd warn ya," she turned to leave. "By the way, you keep kissing like that, you two should run for the best couple at the Winter Ball next month." she winked before taking off.

Lindsay's face flushed red. "That's so embarrassing," she mumbled.

"Alright, alright, enough of that." the couple turned back around to see Mrs. Felice. "Everything okay now?" she asked.

Jack silently scowled. Lindsay asked, "Why's Commissioner Loeb here?"

Mrs. Felice sighed, "Come back to class so I can tell everyone," she ushered her hands back. The couple followed her back into the class, Lindsay reluctantly leaving Jack's side to return to her seat.

"You sure don't look sick anymore," Jade noticed quietly.

"I guess it's true that kissing's healthy," Lindsay told her.

"You—?" Jade gasped lightly. "Way to go, Linny!" she cheered.

Mrs. Felice cleared her throat to speak. "As many of you know, Commissioner Loeb is here at school today. Recently, high school students have been either dropping out or sneaking off to join the Mob." she announced.

"Stupid," Jade muttered.

"There's an assembly scheduled during your last period, to discuss this with all the students." the teacher added.

"Oh, my God, forget what I said." Jade gaped. "If we get to miss Braaten's class today, we can have Mob dropouts _everyday_ for all I care…"

Lindsay shared an eye roll with Patrick, who appeared to be displeased at something. What was it? She tilted her head at him, but he shook his head to shrug it off.

* * *

><p>"That was lame. Loeb looks like a serial killer."<p>

Now on the bus after school, Lindsay was fumbling with her promise ring. "You over exaggerate." she told her friend.

Jade raised an eye. "So are you two officially together yet?" she questioned.

Lindsay shrugged. "I don't know. I did what I could to calm him down." she explained.

"Excuses, excuses," Jade grinned.

When they got off the bus at Jade's street, they walked quickly down to her house, the wind freezing today. "Brrr," Jade said sarcastically, unlocking her door.

Right as she stepped inside, Lindsay dropped her book bag and fell to the floor, erupting into a fit of violent coughs.

"Lindsay!" Jade knelt down. "What's wrong? Holy—" she stuttered. "JONATHAN!" she shrieked.

Seconds later the bony figured boy flew down the stairs. "What is it—what happened?" he asked.

"Call 911!" Jade exclaimed. Without question, Jonathan leaped into the living room to grab the phone.

"Hold on, Lindsay! She's going blue!" Jade said hysterically.

Lindsay continued to cough, while trying to say, "Can't—can't—can't—!"

"HURRY!" Jade yelled, as Lindsay now turned purple. "_Lindsay!_"

* * *

><p><em>"Wake up sunshine."<em>

Lindsay's bright brown eyes slightly opened to a dim-lit room…a hospital room. She heard what sounded like a gun cock, and that same male voice. "Don't move,"

Frozen, she woke up all the way to see a man she'd never seen before. He had a pistol aimed at her chest.

"You're gonna do as I say," the man told her. "Understand?"

Lindsay nodded.

"When you see your daddy, get him alone," the man started. "You tell him he owes Falcone his money. If he doesn't pay up, well, we won't be _poisoning_ you," the gun pressed into her chest.

"You'll just be another high-school Mob drop-out."

He left the room so fast it was like he was never there. Lindsay inhaled and exhaled deeply, clutching her chest. _Poisoned-? How?_

Her father was in debt? Who the hell was Falcone?

The door opened again, Lindsay eyes-wide as Jade and Jonathan entered together. "You alright?" they asked.

Lindsay sighed in relief. "What happened?"

"We got home and you almost _died_ from coughing. Some kinda 'effed up lung poison or something. Does that crap even _exist_?" Jade explained.

"Your dad's on his way," Jonathan cut in.

Lindsay nodded sheepishly as Jade said, "Guess you didn't _kiss_ him enough," she teased.

"Guess I'll have to _every_ time I see him then," Lindsay winked.

"Do I even want to know?" Jonathan mumbled, pushing up his glasses.

"Nah," Jade told him.

* * *

><p>That night, Lindsay was in her room on the phone, talking to Jack no doubt, when Michael knocked and came in. "Hey," he said quietly. "You alright?"<p>

She nodded at him and said into the phone, "Hold on." then looked back at her dad. "Can we talk?"

"Of course," Michael prepared to enter.

"I have to go, sorry," Lindsay into the phone. "I'll call tomorrow…bye," she hung up and said, "Just stay at the door."

Michael stopped abruptly. "What is it?" he asked.

"You owe Falcone money," Lindsay declared. "If you don't pay him soon, then I'm in for something bad." she explained.

She laid down and pulled her blanket over her. "That's all. Turn my light off, please. Night."

Michael stood frozen at the door, before flipping off the light. Leaving the room he scowled to himself, _They got to her? Goddamnit_…

Lindsay waited until she heard him go down the stairs, before getting up quietly and taking the phone. "You there, Jack?" she asked.

"_Your dad's in the Mob?" _Jack questioned.

"I don't know. And I don't care. They freaking poisoned me." Lindsay scoffed.

Now Jack growled. _"I'll kill every last one of them." _he threatened.

"No, you won't." Lindsay argued. "They do what they gotta do for money. Maybe my dad's just in debt to them 'cause maybe he borrowed from them…" she theorized. "Wait, how did you know about that?"

"_I know about Falcone. Some big Mob boss. The guy, Chill, works for him I think, or before he got locked up."_

"Chill—guy who murdered the Wayne parents?"

"_Yeah,"_

Lindsay shuddered. There was no way that her father was secretly somehow involved in the Mob, or Falcone…was he?

* * *

><p><strong>Tsk-tsk, Mikey. Bad. <strong>


	13. You Put The Devil In Me

Michael Stark casually entered the bar nervously, his brown eyes going extremely small. He walked towards the back, where he saw Carmine Falcone enjoying a meal it looked like.

"Mikey!" the crime lord greeted. "You better not be here to kiss my feet."

Michael sat down across from him. "You always stay here?" he asked, scratching the slight gray strands from his blonde hair.

"I own this place, kid," Falcone told him. He watched Michael flop a suitcase on the table.

"Next time, leave my daughter out of it," he growled.

"There better not be a next time," Falcone opened the suitcase, revealing the money. "Or else I'm gonna have to say hello to that pretty wife of yours." he threatened, closing the case. "Now get out of here..."

Without a word, Michael got up, and walked as fast as he could out of there. Shit. He never should have gotten involved...but...Goddamn...

When he got home, he double checked on Lindsay, fast asleep in her room. Now going into his room, he undressed for bed, and got settled in next to his sleeping wife.

"Jo?" he said softly. She didn't respond, so Michael laid on his back, and sighed. He doubted he'd be getting any sleep tonight.

* * *

><p>Angry that she couldn't go to school because of the poison attack the previous night, Lindsay was laid on the couch covered up, watching the Gotham morning news with tired eyes after both her parents left for work. What was she gonna do today-? Sleep...<p>

The doorbell rang.

Dropping her weight of her head onto her pillow for about a second, Lindsay forced herself up and opened the door, thinking her father had forgotten his—

"Jack?"

Jack moved his returning curly hair out of his face, grinning. "Hey," he greeted. "How are you feeling?" he asked politely.

"...I feel fine..." Lindsay said. "...what are you _doing_ here?" she chastised. "Skipping school?"

"You told me the doctors were making you stay home today," Jack reminded. "And...I wanted to spend today with you." he admitted.

Lindsay blinked her bright brown eyes, which were becoming wider and wider with each word spoken by Jack. "Okay," she decided. "But you better be gone by the time school's usually over, 'cause my dad gets home first." she instructed.

"Yes ma'am," Jack saluted. Lindsay shut and locked the front door after he came in, as she said, "I am going back to sleep, I lied, I don't feel good, and take your shoes off please."

Jack did as told, while Lindsay lounged back on the couch, about to reach for the blanket when Jack put his hand over hers, pushing hers down lightly.

"You just relax and get some sleep. I'll watch over you," he promised, pulling the blanket over her.

"Gee...thanks...Prince Charming," Lindsay mumbled sarcastically.

"You're welcome, Princess Linny," Jack teased.

"I'm gonna punch Jade in the nose for that name," Lindsay threatened.

"Shhh..." Jack swiftly took the remote from the coffee table and pushed the red power button. "GCN ought to put you to sleep." he grinned.

"Nooo! Not the _news_!" Lindsay buried herself under the covers and turned away.

* * *

><p>When she woke up, checking the time to reveal eleven, she saw Jack asleep on the floor exactly against the couch, his brown curls hiding his face. Lindsay brushed the curls from his face and dumped the blanket onto him as she got up.<p>

In the restroom, she ran a brush through her sunny blond streaks with one hand, reaching for her prescription medicine given from the poison with the other. Stupid mob...

About a minute later was when she felt arms wrap around her waist, feeling her personal bubble burst. "Jack?" she said quickly as she could see him from the mirror. "Hey, let go of me..." she requested nervously.

Jack rested his head lightly on her shoulder. "You know you don't want me to." he said.

"Yes I do; please—it makes me uncomfortable," she exasperated.

"You're just not used to it," Jack really wanted to tell her she had no idea how long he was waiting to do this. Lindsay put her hands on his arms, face red, very red. "See?" Jack said. "It's not so bad."

Their small moment was over when they both heard the front door open. Lindsay leaped away from Jack, peeking her head out into the hallway. Her dad walked in the house, shutting the door.

If Michael saw that Jack was here...!

Lindsay waited until she watched her father disappear into the kitchen, she grabbed Jack's arm and pulled him out and almost dived into her room at the end of the hall. She put a finger to her lips at him before she closed her door and hurriedly went downstairs.

"You're home early," she said nervously. Was her face red-?

"Oh, yeah, I told my boss what happened last night and he gave me the slip." Michael explained. "How are you feeling?" he asked.

"I'm good," she admitted, gulping quietly. Either she was excellent at drama acting, or completely terrible.

"That reminds me...is that Jack's bike in the yard?" Michael asked as he pulled the gallon of milk from the fridge.

_Ah!_ Lindsay was eyes wide. She forgot about that! "Oh, uh, he stopped over this morning to see how I was feeling, then he took my bus to school." she explained.

"You sure you're alright? You look a little red," Michael put his palm to her forehead. "You are a little warm." he noticed. "That was nice of Jack to come see you." he admitted. "If you weren't feeling bad, I thought we could go out to lunch." he offered.

_SAVED!_ "Yes!" Lindsay squeaked. "I-I, I would love that. I love you, Dad." she stuttered.

Michael raised his eyes. "You sure you're feeling good?" he asked in doubt.

"I'm fine! When are we leaving?" Lindsay reassured.

"Right now if you want," Michael offered.

"Oh-okay, I'll get ready then..." Lindsay took a step back and froze when she faced the living room.

_Jack's shoes were right there by the door!_ Oh, no, no, _no_. Dad was gonna see them when he went to leave!

Unless...

She quickly walked to the door and nabbed the shoes. Walking back to the stairs, Michael didn't say a word. Lindsay didn't breathe until she made it up the stairs, and into her room.

In a voice as quiet as she could make it, she whispered to Jack, "We're leaving. I'll try and keep us out of the house until after school hours. Leave after we do."

Jack nodded, taking his shoes. Lindsay pulled him into hug so she could say, "Thanks for staying with me," softly into his ear.

"You're wel-" Jack nearly dropped his shoes when he saw that Lindsay was still staring at him. "What's wrong?" he asked.

"I hate you," she groaned. Before either of them knew it, Lindsay put her hands around Jack's face and gave him a passionate kiss. All time froze for Jack, even after Lindsay pulled away.

"Look at what you've started," she scorned.

_..._

_..._

_..._

Jack waited until he heard the front door shut and lock before he finally moved. He would wait a little while before he left.

He'd never been in her room before.

Jack knew it was wrong to invade privacy, but he couldn't help it. On the nightstand was the Halloween photo of them and the Cranes.

Jack scowled. Stupid Cranes'...

* * *

><p>"Oh. My. God," Jade said. "You were <em>alone<em>? Lord have mercy, I didn't think I was gonna get to be Aunt Jade so soon..." she moaned in sarcastic terror.

"JADE!" Lindsay roared.

"You're not religious, are you?" Patrick asked.

"No," Jade confirmed. "If the Lord was real, he'd make a bus run over my dad." she explained. Patrick snorted. "The choir sub doesn't know what she's doing," Jade noticed. "I don't think we'll sing today..."

"Good," Patrick sighed, scratching his loose, ruffly brown hair.

"That reminds me, I finished another chapter of _Tragic Teenage Love Affair_," Jade announced, tossing the notebook to Patrick.

Lindsay rolled her eyes.

"It's sort of like Romeo and Juliet, but a little more modern," Jade admitted. "Jack and Lindsay are supposed to have this fancy teenage marriage, but Linny can't help but be drawn to the nerdy and eerie Jonathan..." she explained.

"I'm gonna kill you," Lindsay threatened.

Jade grinned, "No you won't," she reassured.

"Why am I in this story?" Patrick demanded. "What the hell?"

"Oh...you're gonna be the guy who does the secret marriage for...never mind." Jade said awkwardly. Lindsay opened her music folder to distract herself from the one haunting thought troubling her mind.

She kinda wanted to read that stupid story...

* * *

><p>When the bell rang for lunch, Lindsay remained frozen in her seat. She failed her math test! The first test ever...she wanted to cry. Michael was gonna <em>fume<em>! She failed the test by missing thirteen questions. Stupid questions! If she'd missed only twelve, she'd gotten a perfect C. But a D? ...oh Lord have mercy.

Where was Jade when you needed her?

She was distraught when she sat down at lunch. When Jack joined their newly located table, one in the south commons, he almost dropped his tray when he saw her. "What happened?" he asked.

"Got a D on a test," she told him unhappily. "My dad's gonna kill me..."

"Blackmail him," Jade suggested. "Tell him not to punish you or you'll tell your mom about..." she remembered that dear old Patrick was sat with them. "...that _one_ thing."

"I can't do that to my _dad_!" Lindsay said loudly. "I'm not mean!"

"_Sure_ you are, you just don't know it," Jade rested her chin on her hands, mischievously grinning.

"What is it?" Patrick asked. "Is he cheating on your mom—" that earned a punch from Jack.

"Just don't tell him you took a test at all?" Jade decided.

Lindsay nodded, slipping her hand into Jack's secretly under the table. _If Jade saw..._a female voice from afar broke that bowl of thoughts. "JADE! LINDSAY!" it was Kristin Nay. The red haired, slightly overweight girl joined their table with a hushed expression. "Is it true?" she asked.

"Is what true," Jade questioned, giving her what must have been a stare inherited from her _younger_ brother.

"That...never mind," Kristin got up and walked away rather too quickly.

"Hey! Get back here, _cunt_!" Jade roared, leaping after her.

"This can't end well," Patrick said. "Don't those two hate each other?" he remembered.

"Ever since that one day in.." Lindsay groaned. "JADE—" a loud sound of several thuds and rumbles made Lindsay cut herself short. _What was that?_

Lindsay threw herself over their table and fled the commons, leading herself to see a terrible sight. At the bottom of the stairs was Jade, lying on the ground, empty trashcans all around her, and some on her. "JADE!" Lindsay shrieked. From behind, she could hear Kristin Nay laughing. _WHAT THE HELL DID SHE DO!_

Jack could see Lindsay snarl, so he violently grabbed her arm and pulled her to him. "No, Lindsay," he said calmly but sternly.

Lindsay tried to fight Jack's grip, but knew that a boy who was almost four inches taller than her, and at least twenty or thirty pounds heavier than her, could easily overpower her. She watched as the teachers on lunch duty helped a half-conscious Jade up on her feet, leading her to the nurses.

"What happened?" Lindsay asked Jack.

"I think...Jade went up the stairs when someone let go of a lot of garbage cans, and she must have slipped and fell down the stairs as they fell down." he explained.

As both Jade and Kristin were being sent away, Lindsay said, "She's gonna get it now. I don't care what I have to do. You don't mess with my friends..."

"You're joking, right?" Jack asked her.

Lindsay shook her head. "No. That's your job."


	14. Oh My Sweet Revenge

**Some of what happens in this chapter is solely based off true events that happened around me, during _my_ freshman year. Class of 2014 is lame.**

* * *

><p>Jack had just made it into his last class before the bell rang, where he noticed that Lindsay and Patrick had switched seats, which would result in Jack sitting next to Patrick, Lindsay in front of Patrick.<p>

But..._why_? Was Lindsay mad at him-? Because of what happened to Jade at lunch? She was staring away, at the side chalkboard when he walked past and sat down next to Patrick.

"Dude, I don't know," the green-eyed boy said. "She was sat there when I came in, so I just let it go. You get in a fight?" he assumed.

Jack shrugged as his curls bounced around his face in an upsetting manner.

Neither boys were Lindsay's problem. Her problem was with Kristin Nay. She pushed Jade down the stairs, and made her trip over trash cans during the process! Lindsay felt her blood rage and her face growing a violent shade of red as she started breathing heavily.

Mr. Braaten finally came in, and noticed the strange seating arrangement in the back. Where was Jade-? The blue eyed man with contacts was _not_ going to question it. A day without her in class was a day of _paradise_.

Talk about a guilty conscience.

During class, he noticed that Lindsay in the back appeared distraught, maybe because of Crane, so he let her be. Even when he gave everyone their maps of India to label, she chose not to work.

Lindsay was planning revenge the entire period. She _had_ to get back at Nay. She just had to. What could she _do_...

Patrick and Jack continued to share worried expressions.

* * *

><p>Now off the bus and down the street, Lindsay made it up Jade's driveway, Lindsay realized she had no way of getting inside, unless her brother had beat her home.<p>

She pounded on the door, and, surprisingly, one Jade Crane had answered. "Hey, Linny," she said. She bore a cast on her left arm, no doubt she broke it from the fall.

"What are you doing up? Go get some sleep." Lindsay scowled. She stepped inside, shoes going off.

"Whatevs," Jade said casually. "I knew someone would have to let you in, and my brother seems to be deaf today." she explained. "He doesn't even know what happened. Or maybe he just doesn't give a rats ass."

Lindsay frowned as she tossed her back pack on the chair. "Maybe he just doesn't want to admit that he cares." she theorized.

Jade snorted. "Yeah, right, sure,"

Lindsay decided to go upstairs, and tap on said brother's door.

_"...make your own soup, sister,"_ she heard him reply to the knocks. She almost giggled.

"It's Lindsay," she corrected. The door immediately opened, and the young teenaged boy stood before her. "Shhh..." Lindsay put a finger to her lips. "Let me come in." she tip-toed into his room, shutting the door.

"W-what is it?" Jonathan asked nervously, pushing up his humongous glasses. This was certainly not what he expected on today's list of agendas...

"I need your help," Lindsay said quietly. "...with poisoning someone." she added.

"..._excuse_ me?" Jonathan asked. "Did you just say _poisoning someone_?" he repeated.

"The girl who pushed your sister down the stairs. She can't get away with that, Jon. Will you help me?" Lindsay begged.

Jonathan shoved his glasses up uncomfortably. Yeah, not what he was expecting today. Someone asking his help to poison someone.

"I won't tell if you won't." he said with a nod.

"Ah," Lindsay sighed, as she pulled the scrawny boy into an unexpected hug. "Thank you. You probably think I've gone nuts, I think I _have_." she said.

"Insane people don't know they're insane," Jonathan corrected. "So, in my book, you're perfectly sane...you're just _hurt_." he added.

...um...what? Lindsay smiled and nodded anyway, wishing she could tell him to use simpler words.

They waited until Jade had gone back to sleeping, when the duo slipped into the kitchen, Jonathan watching in shock and amazement as Lindsay had grabbed the most random of things: baking soda, insect killer, and some cleaning substances he didn't even know they _had_ in the household, and...the carton of eggs.

"May I ask why you took those out?" Jonathan simply pointed at the jumbo carton.

Lindsay blinked her wide brown eyes. "Huh? ...oh. A raw egg ought to help, right? Or unless you wanted something to eat." she shrugged.

Jonathan stared.

The devil on his shoulder seemed to plop down, telling him that Lindsay had gone _hysterical_ with pointless revenge. He should just mind his own business, and let Lindsay get into her own trouble. Who cares if someone had pushed his heartless sister down some stairs.

Boohoo.

Now the angel on his shoulder sat down on the _other_ shoulder, arguing that Jonathan _knew_ Lindsay was caring—even to him, when his sister would treat him like he was _nothing_—to everyone. Even when said sister had gotten hurt, the sunny blonde girl in front of him was willing to harm the predator of the prey.

The devil growled when he could feel Jonathan instantly gaining new respect for the beautiful blonde wonder running around his kitchen.

The angel sneered at the devil, and Lindsay wondered why Jonathan had smiled for the slightest of moments.

* * *

><p>Rumors.<p>

The very word made Lindsay's stomach turn. She was not one for gossip; to hear it or speak it. It was lunchtime again, as she was sat next to an extremely quiet Jack, who was still irrationally assuming she was angry with him.

"Jack," she let out a whisper, and his attention span decreased down to one factor: her. "Do me a favor?" she said quietly.

"Anything. You never have to ask." Jack reassured.

Lindsay half-smiled, maybe a slight twitch in her smile. "I need you to distract Nay." she requested.

"The one who..." Jack trailed as she put a finger to her lips. He nodded. "Okay." he got up and started to walk towards the north commons, Lindsay slowly following.

Patrick had watched the pair off, then turning around to face his near empty table, the only other guy there, David Miller, which Patrick had wondered if he was going to join their _group_, had shrugged at Patrick.

"You got some weird friends." David admitted.

Patrick groaned. "What did I get myself _in_to." he asked out loud to himself.

In the hallway in between the commons, Jack approached a couple of girls, either sophomores or juniors, and Lindsay watched him hand a black haired girl a five dollar bill. He muttered something to her, and she quickly took out a permanent marker, sticking it in her pocket.

A twinge of jealousy smacked Lindsay, especially at the way the hazel-eyed girl was looking at Jack like he was eye candy. She was tempted to march up to the girl and exclaim that Jack Napier was already...

...already taken.

But he _wasn't_.

Nothing was going on between them.

This was her fault! Lindsay had always denied anything that resembled a relationship between them, minus telling her father her love for Jack, and three odd times they had kissed. She was so caught up in her thoughts, she didn't notice that Jack had already continued down to the south commons.

_Focus!_ She returned to her slowed pace as she heard Jack approach Kristin Nay at her oh-so-popular table for the oh-so-popular freshman.

"Why's Napier here?" she heard a boy mutter, and she dug her hands into her pockets.

"Sorry, I was here to see if Kristin was really a...never mind, it's none of my business." Jack said awkwardly, turning to walk away.

"See if I'm a _what_?" Kristin Nay demanded, her auburn curls rising up like the deadly flames they were. "Napier! Get back here." she ordered.

Jack returned to her table and said, "I heard from some upperclassmen that...you're a lesbian. It's written all over the girls bathroom apparently."

Lindsay had to look away when Kristin Nay abruptly screamed like a psycho, jumping up so hard her chair flipped back, and Jack almost fell. She stormed past him, all of her friends following.

Perfect.

Lindsay quickly walked over to the now deserted table, and could only pray that this would work. She took out the syringe from her pocket, and emptied its contents into Nay's juice carton. Jack watched with wide eyes, hoping no one could see; thankfully everyone around had still been watching Nay and her preppy little group.

"What are you doing-?" he asked when Lindsay withdrew the syringe back into her pocket.

"Don't worry about it," she muttered. She walked as fast as she could away, stopped suddenly, and turned around, and waited. She lightly waved Jack over to her. Like a mindless servant, he was at her side, or, standing in front of her as she leaned back against some lockers.

"What is it?" he asked. He tilted his head innocently.

Lindsay wanted to drop the matter, and wanted to tell him to stop growing. He was only almost four inches taller than her, but she still felt like such a midget. Instead of turning this into something funny like that, she went solemn and asked, "Who was that girl."

Jack put his head straight, and prepared to answer, when Nay and her group strolled past them angrily, returning to their table. Lindsay vaguely watched, hoping Nay would get thirsty...

"She's in my algebra class," Jack told her. "Don't worry, she's just a friend...you're not jealous, are you?" he realized.

Lindsay felt her face flush as she embarrassingly stared down at her feet. Jack had chuckled. "Hey, you don't have to worry about anything," he cupped her chin to make her look back. "There's only you." he promised.

Lindsay opened her mouth to reply in a positive manner when she heard someone choking. She and Jack watched as Kristin Nay gagged, throwing her juice carton on the room, unable to speak.

"What the hell did you _put_ in it-?" Jack wondered nervously.

Lindsay grinned uncontrollably; it faded when her mind replayed a part of a conversation that happened yesterday between her and Jade.

_"I'm not mean!"_

_"Sure you are, you just don't know it,"_

Yeah, karma was just a bitch, wasn't she.


	15. The Beauty and The Tragedy

**FIRST OFF, THANKS FOR 100 REVIEWS! **

**Second off, I read some things about Joker/Mary Sue stories. So you tell me: is Lindsay turning out to be a Mary Sue? Or Jade, for that matter? I don't want them to be! PLEASE BE HONEST.  
><strong>

* * *

><p>He wouldn't stop yelling.<p>

Jack was in his room, attempting his homework. He turned the volume of his TV up a notch to block out the noise. Who knows how many women were out there blowing his dad right now? Probably the whole stripper joint…

Several different…_inappropriate sounds_ were more than enough for Jack. Still laying on the carpet of his very cramped bedroom, he tucked his homework away and decided to copy it off of someone else tomorrow morning.

When he heard a loud **_thud_** from the living room, Jack buried his face in the carpet. What he'd give for the phone right now…the sound of her voice would be like a savior in the sky for him at that moment.

What was she doing right now? Jack turned his head to face the wall. He needed to get out of here. Just like that, his plan of escape snapped when he heard his door open violently, making him jump up to embrace whatever wrath his father was about to unleash onto him.

To his surprise, a red headed half naked lady, stripped down to undergarments, was looking at Jack with wild, drunk eyes. "You the bathroom?" she asked in a hiccup.

Without a word, Jack pointed his index finger to the left, inquiring it was one door down. Also without a word, the ginger stepped back and went down the hallway to the correct door. Jack tried not to slam the door with a growl.

He had never seen a woman without her clothes before. Sure, he'd had fantasies of him and Lindsay…but that had _way_ crossed the line. Jack quickly put his muddy sneakers on, zipped up his leather coat, and made a break for it through his window. He made sure he had his wallet before he leaped out; it was too cold to be riding, but he had no other choice.

Jack always hated December, but now loved it. _Her birthday_. With the money he had now, he would buy her a gift. As he pedaled away from the trailer park, he had an even better idea.

* * *

><p>Patrick Logan and David Miller stared in silence, until Patrick said, "Is she dead?" the girl sleeping in her chair didn't move. "Hey, David, poke her." He said.<p>

"No way," David retorted. "Lindsay should do it."

Both boys looked to the sunny blonde, who appeared to be lost in her thoughts. "Stark," David said, that snapped her attention span to him. "Wake up your girlfriend."

"I'm awake, you _slobs_," Jade groaned to life. "I think my brother drugged my coffee. I feel terrible." She admitted.

"You sure?" Patrick asked. "I swear you're already terrible enough as it is…" Jade glared at him with her icy blue orbs as David held back from laughing and Lindsay only sighed this time.

She went back to what she was thinking about: this morning. Her window had been opened slightly; she'd never touched it. It was too cold to have it open.

Meaning someone climbed in through her window.

The tree right outside of her window had a sturdy branch that could be used to get into her room if they were a risk taker.

Jack Napier was a risk taker.

Why would he come into her room in the middle of the night-? Wasn't that pushing invasion of privacy a _little_ too far-?

Now she began to question his mental state; his behavior towards her and everyone else. She played with the promise ring on her finger. _What the hell was she doing to him?_

She hugged him first. She held his hand first. She kissed him first. She couldn't blame him for anything he did, whether it be giving her a ring, holding her, beating a boy with a heavy textbook, or now sneaking into her room.

The one to blame was _her_; and her alone.

"You okay?" David asked her with a nudge. The hazel eyed and brown haired boy leaned in towards her face. "You can't be sick. We have auditions today." he reminded. Lindsay nodded; Mrs. Todd-Moore had chosen the two of them as two of her best singers to audition for the two main roles of a murder-mystery musical. All upperclassmen involved in Gotham High's music program were enraged at the fact that two freshmen were offered the roles.

"I'm okay," Lindsay said after her nod. "Just having a bad morning."

"Join the club," Jade grumbled.

"Maybe Jonathan drugged your coffee to keep you from drinking it," Lindsay assumed. "It is his after all."

Jade's eyes flared angrily at her best friend. "I hate when you defend that asshole." she hissed. "Why am I always the bad guy?"

"I wasn't-" Lindsay set to defend but Jade shot her hand up.

"Whatever. Leave me alone." the bell rang for class to begin, and the group of four kept to themselves as they sang their choral songs.

* * *

><p>Health was no fun matter anymore. Mrs. Felice did not particularly enjoy her second period class for two reasons:<p>

Jack Napier and Jade Crane.

She separated them of course, apart from Lindsay Stark. When Napier had his outburst during the suicide unit, that pretty blond was the only one who could stop him. And when Mrs. Felice found out how he managed to injure a boy with something as simple as a textbook, she knew this boy was trouble.

Nonetheless, she kept the couple together to prevent anymore incidents.

When her students came into class before the bell, Mrs. Felice gave Crane the waring eye, but the ebony haired girl looked like she hadn't slept in a week. She dropped her head down as she sat.

Tired? Sick? Drugs? It wouldn't surprise Mrs. Felice.

Stark followed in, but no Napier. She looked different too...scared, maybe? Maybe today's class would be easy to teach.

Kids these days...what would the generation after 2000 be like when it came?

* * *

><p>Lunch went by slow due to none of the group doing anything. Patrick and Star Singer David left the pair of girls alone. "This is why Jack can't miss school. He lightens the mood." Patrick muttered.<p>

"I heard that," Jade said. "Not afraid to punch you." that shut him up because he knew it was true.

Where was Jack? Lindsay couldn't even eat her food due to worry. She ended up giving her food to the boys to share.

"It's just one of those days," Jade said. "Sorry I'm not myself. Something's been going on with my mom." she admitted.

"What happened?" Lindsay asked.

"I dunno; she won't talk to us. Locks herself in her room after she gets home everyday. Dumbshit brother says she's depressed but I don't know why she would be." she explained. "I'm just worried." she half-shrugged.

"Have you talked to her? Or tried?" Lindsay suggested.

"No, I'll try today," Jade decided. "Thanks Linny. I dunno how you do it but you're good at cheering people up. Should be a therapist." she grinned. Lindsay shrugged it off with a blush. "So, what's going on with you and Jack?" Jade asked. "Dating yet? I know you're betrothed, but..." she snickered.

"Think Jack would let me be best man?" Patrick wondered.

_No_, Lindsay thought. _If he had it his way, it would be all girls. No guys; maybe Dad, but_...it was a sad fact. Bad enough Lindsay knew better than to double eye any other boy; Jack wasn't going to like that she was offered a chance to sing and dance with David in a musical...and that she accepted the offer...

Again, this was all her fault...

Minutes after Michael picked his daughter up, Colleen Curran returned home from work. It was seemingly quiet as usual. Jade waited until she heard the bedroom door shut and lock before she stepped out of her own room.

She wriggled the doorknob of her brother's door as she went down the hall. Arriving at her mother's door, she knocked. "Mom?" she waited.

Jonathan opened his door and stood there quietly. "Mom." Jade knocked again.

No sounds or signs of movement.

Jade dropped her arm down to her side to match the other. Her head drooped also as she turned to her brother with sad, matching icy blue eyes. Sharing her frown, Jonathan pushed up his glasses to lessen the uncomfortable gaze.

* * *

><p><strong>December 12, 1995<strong>

The birthday girl went into Gotham High's cafeteria to find her friends. She found them sat at a round table. Jade had a grocery bag with her; it strikes Lindsay with curiosity.

"Dude. Don't ask. Brother got you the weirdest gift. I become less and less related to him with each passing day."

Jonathan had gotten her a gift-? Lindsay had the ghost of a smile when she could only imagine Jack's right now...if he came to school today.

Probably a smile of future murder in his mind.

Lindsay looked into the grocery bag...and stared.

"I think I'm too scared to want to know what it is." Patrick admitted. Lindsay was just about to pull it out when a taller and older brunette girl stormed up to their table.

"Which one of you's Lindsay Stark?"

Jack was pissed that his bus was late, which meant that he would have to eat breakfast in class. He easily spotted Lindsay and made his way across the cafeteria when a taller brunette stepped in front of him, journeying the same direction. Jack had followed with careful eyes.

"Which one you's Lindsay Stark?" she demanded.

"I am." Lindsay answered.

"How did you get the part and I didn't? You can't even-" the senior enraged. She handed Lindsay a paper with the cast list for the murder-mystery musical.

Main female role: Lindsay Stark.

"Congratulations." Jade said. She looked up at the tall senior. "Don't be jealous; be happy for your peers. Lindsay probably will do a better job than you could."

"Excuse me-?" the senior said. "Who do you think you are? You're just a freshman!"

"I'm so tired of upperclassmen thinking they have authority over us." Jade sighed.

First the stairs and garbage cans, now the tables and chairs. Jade and the brunette began a hardcore brawl all over the area, students jumping away as their meals were wasted onto the floor.

Everyone was roaring as Lindsay cried, "Stop them-!" and planned to pursue the girls, but Jack grabbed her wrist to stop her. "Let go of me!" she screeched with venom and he immediately did.

As a few girls joined her to pull the fighting pair apart, teacher staff finally took this under their control. Everyone became deadly silent when Mr. Potts showed.

"My office. Now."

As if watching a silent film, the principal and the two girls were the only ones who moved and left. "Why does everyone always want to fight Jade?" Patrick asked in annoyance.

"She's Irish." Lindsay replied.

"Mr. Braaten will be happy if she gets suspended." Patrick joked. "Open that bag; I wanna know what the other Crane got for you." he pressed urgently.

Lindsay did. Patrick Logan was then beside himself with hysterical laughter. "A bottle of _insecticide_? That kid's got problems." Lindsay ignored him as she held the spray can in both hands. She would thank Jonathan when she saw him after school.

Jonathan was the only person in the world who knew she was _terrified_ of bugs. Even if they were locked in a cage. They were still there. They still moved, crawled, skittered, slide...squirm...

She shivered. The fact that he remembered made her day. "She's holding bug killer...and smiling." Patrick observed. "This year was so bad; bring it on, 1996!" he declared. "You guys know that the world's supposed to end in 2000? At least we'll graduate before then."

"World's not gonna end." Jack spat.

The bell rang, and the students piled out the cafeteria, leaving the mess and remains of the fight to the janitors. Jack took the moment to wrap his arms around Lindsay in a possessing hug and kissed her lightly. "Happy birthday. You have to wait til after school for your gift." he told her.

She returned the hug and whined, "Awww..." while thinking in her mind, _what are you doing? This isn't right! He's not your boyfriend! Stop hugging and kissing him! Say something!_ Instead she pulled away and waved goodbye as she took her grocery bag and joined everyone else out.

* * *

><p>Instead of going on the bus with Jade after school, Lindsay found herself following Jack away from school and into the nearest train station. "My dad's gonna kill us both!" she hissed.<p>

"I already told Jade to tell him; don't worry!" Jack reassured. He bought them a ride on the monorail and sat them down as the train took off into inner Gotham City.

"Where are we going?"

"Somewhere," Jack replied. They sat in silence for a few minutes until he said, "Shut your eyes." other people aboard the train eyed them oddly as Lindsay did so. "Stand up and grip the pole and face the window." he instructed. He helped her get up and follow his words as she kept her eyes shut, facing the window.

"Wait...wait...okay, open them."

Lindsay's bright brown orbs opened to see the train passing a shopping plaza; two poles that were close together had Christmas lights stretched out that read, _**HAPPY BIRTHDAY** **LINDSAY**_, and she gasped.

"I love it! That's amazing! How did you do that? Thank you!" she excitedly tackled Jack in a hug as he grinned at said excitement.

She pushed all her negative thoughts from earlier aside because now, just for now, it was them against the world.

* * *

><p><strong>Yeah...insecticide. I can't express how much she hates bugs. She's afraid of them as much as Bruce Wayne is of bats. ANYWAY hope the long chapter was worth it!<strong>


	16. In Love I've Always Been A Mercenary

**Apparently Gotham is in New Jersey...WAHH; I'M STICKING WITH NEW YORK!**

**Thank you for all the reviews from last chapter, I have decided to keep the story up, but I will probably update it slowly for now.**

**BTW- this chapter gets violent so just a warning. I think it sucks though so I apologize. It's after 1 am as I type this.**

* * *

><p><strong>February 16, 1996<strong>

"So, how was your Valentine's Day?"

Lindsay was humming the songs she had to memorize for the play as Jade directed a scowl to Patrick. "Okay, forget I asked." Patrick said in defeat. "But, uh, there's a girl who wants to join our little lunch group." he announced.

"Who?" David Miller asked. He took the script from Lindsay and briefly went through it as Patrick went to continue.

"Abigail Steiner," he named. "That pretty German."

"No," Jade declined. "She's too weird."

"You're just jealous 'cause she doesn't need makeup to look pretty." Patrick insulted. Jade sent another scowl at him. "Kidding." he apologized.

"It's up for me, Linny, and Jack to decide," Jade said. "_We're_ the originals."

"I don't think I've ever talked to her," Lindsay realized.

"She's in Geography with us." Jack clarified.

"We'll give her the application in that class." Jade decided.

"You made an _application_?" Patrick asked, stunned.

Jade opened her scrap notebook and tossed it to him:

**_Jade Crane's Application for joining _****_Us_**

**_Submit your full name:_**

**_Are you in 9th grade? _**

**_If you answered no, your request will be denied._**

**_Have we spoken before?_**

**_Do we have any classes together?_**

**_One last thing: are you a bitch?_**

**_Thanks for submitting your application!_**

"You've got to be joking." David gaped.

"Does it _look_ like I'm joking? That's _this_ guy's job." Jade replied, pointing at Jack to the right of her on her side.

"I thought that love story was bad..." Patrick muttered.

"_Tragic Teenage Love Affair_? I'm about halfway done with that," Jade admitted. "Lindsay and Jonathan get secretly ma-"

"ANYWAYS," Lindsay interrupted. "I like it when we get more people to our group...not that I don't miss just Jack and Jade, though." she admitted.

Jade shrugged as Jack tried to look bored, but he couldn't tear his gaze off David. He was the other freshman who got the male lead role in the play, whereas Lindsay got the female role.

They had to practice together...recite lines together...sing together..._together_...

And the damn play wasn't even until April.

* * *

><p>At the Miller residence, Lindsay was just a little nervous as she held onto her script. It was her first time at David's house, but they really needed to get their lines and songs memorized soon.<p>

David's mother let her in kindly, and left the pair alone in the living room to practice their parts.

This went on nearly every day until April.

"It's been boring not having you come home with me after school," Jade admitted one day at lunch. "No one to occupy little brother." She smirked.

"Funny," Lindsay smirked back.

"So you and David are getting pretty close, huh?" Patrick leaned forward in his seat, forking one of Jade's curly fries. She swat at his hand but was too late.

"Sure," Lindsay shrugged.

"I'm surprised you haven't knocked him yet," Patrick said to Jack.

"They have to practice," he grumbled.

"Patrick!" Lindsay scowled. "You dirty-minded fool! My relationship with David is nothing like that!"

"DIRTY MINDED FOOL!" Jade repeated with laughter, as if that was the funniest thing she'd ever heard. "Linny, why don't you just _swear_?"

"I've _never_ heard her swear," Patrick realized. "You Catholic or something?"

"That's stereotypical," Lindsay retorted. "But no, I don't go to church or live in any religious fashion."

"I've known her since, like…_kindergarten_. Linny just doesn't _swear_." Jade shrugged.

"That's probably a good thing given the city we live in," David admitted.

* * *

><p>In Geography, 'that pretty German' Abigail was sat in her seat in the middle seats towards the right of the classroom, until she saw a familiar Jade Crane pull a chair up to her desk.<p>

"Hey Abby," she said casually. "Is that your nickname?"

"Yeah," she said, nodding with wide, green eyes.

"You wanted to join us?" Jade interrogated.

"Only if it's okay with you," Abigail admitted.

"Well Patrick and David's opinions don't matter since they're not Jack and Lindsay. Do you know them?"

"Yes."

"Friends?"

"I would like to be."

"One last question…"

"Okay." Abigail said politely.

"Friends with Kristin Nay?"

"No, I don't like her."

Jade pat her shoulder. "Welcome to the group. We sit in the south commons at lunch and in the north commons at breakfast."

"Okay, thank you!" Abigail chimed.

"Does this mean I can ask her out?" Patrick whispered. Lindsay and Jack just stared at him. "What?" he asked. "She's _hot_." He admitted.

* * *

><p>The next morning during the ten-minute span in between breakfast and first period, David and Patrick were huddled by Patrick's locker.<p>

"You're crazy," Patrick said. "Jack might kill you. Literally."

David grimaced. "That psycho doesn't deserve her at all. She deserves better. I'm going to do it."

"It's your funeral," Patrick muttered.

"What? You're supposed to be on _my_ side." David groaned.

"David," Patrick said. "I have the _biggest_ crush on Lindsay, it sucks. I can't even tell her because of Jack, so instead I act like I like _Jade_." He admitted.

"Well if she says no to me then you can try," David suggested. "Wish me luck." He lightly waved before he tracked down Jack approaching his first class.

"Napier."

Jack stopped and turned around to glare down the hazel-eyed boy through his own brown eyes. "Miller?" he addressed confusingly.

"Is Lindsay your girlfriend?"

Now that was the strangest question Jack had ever heard. "No," he answered. "She doesn't want it to be like that, but we do have a relationship to an extent."

"In other words she's not."

Jack balled his fists, his temper rising quickly. "Why are you asking me?" he almost growled.

"After the play this weekend, I'm going to ask her out." David informed. "We've been practicing almost every day and I realized that I like her a lot…"

"You have a lot of guts telling me this," Jack glowered. "When you know she's mine."

David glared now. "What is she, a piece of property with your name on it? She can do way better than you, Napier." He scoffed.

"Oh, like you, you mean?" Jack laughed.

"_At least my dad's not a drunk and my mom didn't kill herself."_

That was all Jack needed to hear to make him football tackle David hard to the floor, and then went to choke him. He wrapped his hands around the pretty boy's neck until it turned red and David started to choke.

The science teacher came out and pulled Jack off of David. "Enough! Break it up!" he yelled, holding Jack back as David began to cough and breathe in too much oxygen.

"She's mine," Jack growled so quietly the teacher could hardly hear him. _"She's mine."_

* * *

><p>Mr. Potts was only sitting in his chair at his desk in his office. The curly blonde boy and the brown haired brushed to the sides boy were sat next to each other, facing his desk.<p>

"What happened."

"Just a misunderstanding," David mumbled.

"Oh?" Mr. Potts laughed. "It always seems to be a misunderstanding when it involves Mr. Napier here." He insulted.

Jack glowered at the principal but not a word came out of him.

"Mr. Miller you're the lead role in the play this weekend, correct?" Mr. Potts reminded blatantly.

"Yes," he nodded.

"If you're suspended then you can't participate. What will the music program do?"

"Replace me," David said sadly.

"Is that so," Mr. Potts mused. "What am I supposed to do with the two of you then?" he wondered.

"…give us detention?" David suggested nervously.

Jack snorted.

"Is there something you want to say, Jack?" Mr. Potts inquired.

"No sir." He spat.

All Mr. Potts did next was lean forward in his seat. "After school detention every day next week for an hour. I suggest the two of you leave each other alone." He decided.

"Thank you," David said.

"You can leave, Mr. Miller." Mr. Potts gestured. Jack stared at his principal as he heard the other boy leave. "Mr. Napier, I am giving you the slip for now." He informed.

"Why?"

"Because I like Miss Stark, she's a good kid…but I believe you're corrupting her. Or trying to."

"Excuse me?" Jack asked.

"Go on, get out." Mr. Potts waved. "I'm watching you." He threatened.

* * *

><p>On Saturday, it was time for the first showing of the play. Lindsay arrived over an hour early to help set up and get dressed ahead of time. One volunteer sat her down to do her makeup.<p>

"You're gonna be great." She praised.

"Thank you," Lindsay replied nervously.

It was a little settling knowing that her parents and Jade were somewhere in the audience. But her heart began to thump when she saw Jonathan sat next to his sister.

_Crap-!_

She couldn't recall messing up when she acted or sang but she did sing a little shakily with David at some points. Other than that when the show was over, the audience was in an uproar.

Backstage, Lindsay yanked her vest off her chest and ripped her long pink ribbon out of her hair and tossed them with the unused props and went to look at herself in the mirror. She was hot, and sweaty, and it felt gross.

She dug around the makeup table for a hair tie to pull up her long sunny blonde strands. And when she did, David came up to her from behind.

"You were amazing."

"You too."

David smiled faintly, and looked down at his feet.

"You were beautiful."

Lindsay's smile faded slightly, growing nervous as she said, "Thank you. You were cute." Her heart gave one large thump when the two-inch taller boy abruptly went up to her and kissed her so suddenly.

All that went through her mind was Jack.

When David pulled away, he looked guilty, and then muttered, "Sorry." And immediately left the back stage.

Lindsay just stood there, a hand over her chest. In shock.

* * *

><p>"<em>Jack get your ass out here now!"<em>

He would have ignored his father until he kicked his bedroom door opened and repeated his order.

_"Don't make me say it again."_

Jack glumly led his father out into the living room where he said next, "Clean up the kitchen."

He watched his godforsaken and ungrateful son go into the kitchen and stare at the mess of broken beer glass.

"_No."_

"What was that, boy?"

"I'm not cleaning your mess up!" Jack raged, kicking some of the glass around the kitchen floor.

"You better pick that shit up, Jackie, or I'm gonna-"

"You'll what, Dad? You'll _what_?" Jack nabbed the largest piece of glass he found and turned to face his father, holding the glass out.

His father just stood there. "You don't scare me, Jackass."

"You _should_ be scared," Jack threatened.

His father yelled as he went to attack his son, but Jack only dodged as his drunkard father slipped on the glass and fell onto his face, the glass no doubt piercing his face.

Jack stumbled back as his father shrieked from pain; he turned and dashed out the front door and got on his bike and pedaled away into the cold, April night.

* * *

><p>Hoping the play was still going on, Jack stopped at the school and something caught his eye.<p>

David Miller walking home alone.

"_I'm going to ask her out. We've been practicing almost every day and I realized that I like her a lot…"_

"_What is she, a piece of property with your name on it? She can do way better than you, Napier." _

"_At least my dad's not a drunk and my mom didn't kill herself."_

After walking about a mile away from school, and one mile closer to home, David heard something thud as it hit the ground from behind.

He turned around to see Jack Napier with bloodshot eyes and a piece of glass in his hand.

"Jack?" he uttered. "What are you…?"

"You can't have her," Jack mumbled.

"Hey, Jack, don't…what are you doing with that?" David asked fearfully.

Jack squeezed the piece of glass, and David was eyes wide when he saw blood dripping from his hand.

Everything went black when Jack came at him.


	17. Devotion Save Me Now

**10-9-12  
>In my dictionary, Bane is the definition of awesome<strong>

Local cops were only almost a block away from Gotham High School, at the crack of dawn the next morning.

The first officer on the scene, Officer Celetti, asked, "What do we got?"

"A minor. David Miller," Officer Kindle answered. "Coroner says the cause of death was strangulation." he added.

"Not the cuts to the face?" Officer Celetti questioned. He knelt down to examine the body, noticing the deep cuts that ran up along the sides of the mouth, making it appear as if he were smiling, even though his mouth was closed.

"Poor kid," Officer Celetti moped. "I wonder who he pissed off. The Mob?"

"Nah, don't think they'd do this to a kid," Officer Kindle pointed out. He looked past his and Celetti's cars and growled. "We gotta go…Homicide's here."

* * *

><p>David's death forever changed our favorite group of friends. When the announcement came from Mr. Potts during first period, Lindsay had to be escorted out of class by Jade just to cry to her best friend.<p>

Patrick remained in his seat, wiping the tears out of his darkening green eyes.

Deep down, he knew that Jack had done it. David had confessed his feelings for Lindsay, and the next morning…he's been murdered.

But of course, Patrick had no proof. And he knew better now than to say anything. His life depended on it.

For Lindsay, David's funeral was worse than Jack's mother's. David haunted her mind like a flood. His smile, his bright hazel eyes, his singing…his kiss…

She found it impossible to sleep when she realized she was the last person he saw before he died. Her lack of sleep caused her grades to drop during the last month of school. And an irrational case of insomnia.

One day when school was out, and Jade's bus was running late, Jack waited with Lindsay, sitting on his bike while she rested against the handle bars. Jade had decided to block out the world by putting her big headphones on and listening to her walkman.

"How's she doing?" Jack nodded at her.

Lindsay frowned. Jade used David's death as her excuse, but Lindsay knew that her mother was getting worse.

_"She won't set her alarm. I have to get up at five everyday just to get her up for work."_ she groaned one day during lunch.

_"Have you gotten any help for her?"_ Abigail had suggested.

_"Uh…no…"_ Jade shrugged.

Lindsay frowned deeper; Jade loved her mother, whether she was absent or not; who wanted to admit they had a crazy parent that needs help?

Jade Crane's pride was too high for her to ever admit that.

"I don't know," Lindsay finally answered Jack.

"Still going to her house?"

"Everyday. You should come visit once in a while."

Oh, the very idea was so tempting, but Jack knew what would happen if he even had to witness Jade's brother even _looking_ at Lindsay.

"No thanks."

Lindsay sighed. "Jack?"

"Hmm?" he answered.

"I have to tell you something."

"I'm listening."

Lindsay took a deep breath, brushing away stray sunny blonde strands from her face. "After the play, just before David…he…he kissed me."

Jack froze in his bike seat. He was silent for just one moment until he asked, "Did you like it?"

Lindsay widened her earth brown eyes. "Did I what?"

"_Like_ it."

"Like what?"

"The kiss."

"What kind of question is that?" Lindsay demanded. She stood up straight from leaning on the handle bars, but jumped a little when Jack grabbed her left wrist violently.

"_Did. You. Like. It."_

"I-I," Lindsay stuttered. "I was too shocked to remember if I _liked_ it. God, Jack, David is _dead_! Why would you even ask that?"

Jack's grip on her wrist remained. "Don't lie to me."

"What if I did like it, then?" Lindsay threatened. "Will you let go of me!"

Jack obeyed, instantly releasing her wrist.

Lindsay pulled away, holding her reddened wrist with her other hand. "That hurt."

"Sorry," Jack looked at the ground momentarily. "I-" he put his feet on his pedals and suddenly took off from where Lindsay was standing. She called out his name, but he kept going, pedaling faster if that.

"Are you okay?" Lindsay, startled, turned to see the girl with the screeching voice who thought Jack and Lindsay were the greatest couple ever.

"Y-yeah, thanks," Lindsay was lucky the bus had just pulled up. She turned and went up to Jade, boarding the bus with her.

_What the hell-?_

* * *

><p>It was summer now, Lindsay knew as she shut her window to keep out the heat. Michael had been setting up air conditioners in her room, her parents room, and the living room.<p>

Lindsay now wondered how Jack would get into her house. He made a habit of coming up to her window and crawling in. But if there was an air conditioner in the way…what would he do?

Jack was smarter than he looked, she knew. He'd figure it out.

She one day in June overheard her mother and father arguing with each other. It frustrated her into dipping out of the house and yanking her bike out of the garage. She felt the tires, and knew they needed just a little bit of air.

Lindsay got on her rusty bike, and pedaled an old memorized route to the trailer parks. She hadn't been here in quite a while.

She went through the maze of homes until she caught Jack mowing the grass around his trailer. "Greetings Prince Charming."

Jack stopped mowing, which automatically shut the machine off on its own. "Hail, Princess Linny." He returned, wiping his forehead of sweat. He gave her a friendly grin, which caused her face to go red.

His hands were gripped on the handle of the lawn mower. Lindsay couldn't help but size him up. Jack would be sixteen in just a couple of months. He was tall. With muscles. And his eyes. Oh, and his _obnoxious_ curly blonde hair.

He raised an eye at her. "Checking me out are you?"

"No!"

"Caught ya!"

"Ugh!" Lindsay buried her face in her palms from embarrassment. Jack laughed, wiping his hands together before going over to her. Nearly looming over her from height, he put his right hand on her shoulder, using his left to lift her head up by moving her chin.

"You can check me out whenever you want." He promised. "I won't tell anyone. Well…maybe your _dad_."

"_Jack!"_

"Kidding!" Jack laughed again, leaning down to press a kiss to her lips, throwing her off guard.

"You and your jokes," Lindsay mumbled, pressing her forehead against his chest.

"Let's get out of the sun, I'm hot," Jack suggested, pulling Lindsay over to the nearest tree with shade.

"Yes you are." Lindsay commented with a smirk.

Jack smirked back. "Who's the joker now, hmm?" he sat against the tree with her. "So what brings you to this part of town?" he wondered.

Lindsay sighed, resting her head against his right shoulder. "Mom and Dad were fighting. So I left." She informed.

"What were they fighting about?" Jack questioned.

"Don't know. Don't care."

"Okay." Jack soothed. "Did you want to do anything or…go anywhere? It'll give me an excuse to fix my bike." He offered.

"What happened to your bike?"

"Dad." Jack named.

Lindsay frowned, but Jack shook her off. "Never mind my bike. Yours looks like-"

"Shut it."

"I'm gonna fix it."

"Have at it."

"You owe me, Princess."

"In your dreams, Prince."

Jack got up and walked over to her bike, thinking, _you have no idea…_

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><p>It was two weeks later when Lindsay received the most horrible news in her whole life.<p>

"Lindsay," Michael started, having her sit with him and Joanna at the kitchen table. "We have to talk."

"What did I do?" Lindsay asked, getting slightly nervous.

"You did nothing, honey, it has nothing to do with you," Joanna promised.

Michael sighed. "Your mother and I…things aren't what they used to be." He admitted.

Lindsay went eyes wide. She didn't like the sound of this.

"Your mother and I separating," Michael continued. "What we had…it's gone. That fire to the candle won't light anymore."

"I'm going to Delaware to stay with some friends for a while," Joanna added. "I want you to have a choice. You can stay here with Dad, or come with me."

They watched their daughter together, waiting for her to speak.

But Lindsay just couldn't speak. She couldn't even believe what she'd just been told.

Mom and Dad were…done? Mom was leaving-?

No…

"I hate you," Lindsay cried to them. "I hate you!" she got up and stormed out of the kitchen, bolting outside in only socks. She ran to the garage to get her recently fixed bike, hopped on, and pedaled away from what she called home.

Lindsay didn't know where she was going, she just needed to get away.

* * *

><p>So, it was indeed summer. What exactly were Jade and Jonathan Crane up to?<p>

Jonathan spent his days at the library, reading tons of books – mostly on things like psychology, and occasionally a cook book or two to memorize recipes, should Jade find an excuse to bash him and ignore him to fend for himself. In his case, this was about every other day.

Jade continued to get up at five everyday to wake her mother for work. Jade eventually found a small job washing dishes at a Gotham diner. It didn't pay much but it was enough to get the things she needed when Mother wouldn't suffice.

Jade knew the situation with her mother was starting to get out of hand; neither her nor Jonathan were willing to do anything about it. That was Irish stubbornness running through their blood to blame.

So Jade thought.

It was a late August night, and Jade was in the kitchen doing the dishes when Colleen came bustling in, her bloodshot eyes surrounded by inner black rings and reddened outer rings.

"Mom-?" Jade started but jumped back with a wet and soapy rag when Colleen had slapped her hard enough that she fell to the floor.

"Ow!" Jade yelped. "Mom! What was-" she shrieked when Colleen grabbed her shirt by the chest and yanked her up, almost throwing her against the sink. Jade dropped the rag, continuing to scream.

Now Jade barely saw a flash of metal come up behind her mother. The flash of metal landed on the back of Colleen's head, and the woman fell limp to the floor.

Jade's ocean eyes were widened to the max when she saw that Jonathan had whacked their mother with a metal bat.

"J-,J…" she couldn't speak. Jonathan dropped the bat and stared at his mother.

Jade's mouth shuddered. "Is she…?"

Jonathan finally knelt down and turned his mother over onto her back, opening her eyelids, narrowing his own blue eyes. "What is it?" Jade asked.

Immediately Jonathan stood up and aimed for the stairs. "Jonathan!" Jade screeched, stepping over Colleen to follow him. They went up the stairs, and into their mother's room, where Jonathan went to rummage through Colleen's drawers.

"What?" Jade questioned. "Jonathan, talk to me!" she begged.

Jonathan found what he was looking for. In an almost empty drawer were bottles of different sizes. He picked a few of them up to read the labels.

Jade picked one up and read it. "What are these?"

"Psychoactive drugs," Jonathan informed. "Probably stolen." He theorized. He set the bottles down and closed the drawer.

"Drugs?" Jade repeated weakly.

"They affect your brain activity – negatively if improperly used." Jonathan explained. "She may have gotten addicted to them."

"Oh, my God," Jade wept. "That's why she's crazy, she's, she's…"

"Yes, I believe she was crazy," Jonathan agreed.

"…_was_?" Jade realized. "What do you mean, _was_?"

Jonathan looked right at his big sister. "You know what I mean."

"No," Jade denied. She turned and sprinted back downstairs into the kitchen, where her mother was still on the floor, unmoving.

"Mom," Jade sobbed, kneeling down and shaking her. "Mom, wake up!" after continuously shaking, Jade panicked, finding herself putting two fingers to Colleen's neck.

Jonathan was standing at the entrance to the kitchen; the look he saw on Jade's face confirmed what he already knew.

"She's dead," Jade screamed. "Jonathan, you killed her!"

* * *

><p><strong>Soooo, I hope I contributed enough factors (in my universe) on how Jonathan becomes Scarecrow – absent father, obsession with the mind, verbally abusive sister, crazy, now-dead mother. <strong>**Yeah. Thanks for the amazing reviews!**


	18. The Homecoming

**uh...hi. sup? sorry for not updating. enjoy the chapter.**

**October 15, 1999**

"Hon, I know you love purple but it looks terrible on you."

Lindsay Stark frowned, narrowing her brown eyes. "Really?" she questioned, twirling around in the long, violet dress she put on.

"Yeah, you look better in red." Jade Crane admitted from behind. "Try this!" a silky, dark red dress was pitched Lindsay's way. She caught it, and disappeared behind the curtain of the changing room. Jade sighed on the white sofa she sat on, playing with her charcoal colored hair. "You owe me, Princess Linny," she remarked. "Your mom may have sent the money for your dress, but I'm wasting all my _prom _money for a limo for _homecoming_." she explained.

"You don't have to. My dad can give me a ride." Lindsay suggested.

"Hmm? Fine! I'll buy us some rooms at that new hotel a couple of blocks from Wayne Tower." Jade decided. "That way I don't have to deal with Little Brother. I can relax and get drunk," she grinned. "Oh, and you and Jack can get laid, assuming you haven't already. You saw how fat Kristin Nay is after the number of guys she slept around with."

Lindsay snorted, and then asked, "Would I get fat if I was pregnant?"

"Nah, just- oh my shit, you and Jack screwed!"

"No!" Lindsay hissed. "It's way too early for that! I was just asking!"

"Sure you were! Secret's safe with me!"

"There is no secret!"

"What secret?"

"JADE!"

"LINDSAY!"

Lindsay scowled. Jade erupted into laughter. "Jade..." Lindsay deadpanned.

"Yeah?" she replied seriously.

"Jack wants me to run away with him after we graduate."

Jade was silent. "What did you tell him?" she finally asked.

"I said I didn't have an answer. Jade, I love him but I don't want to leave. Gotham's my home. I'm afraid he'll leave with or without me." Lindsay explained, emerging from the changing room wearing the dark red dress.

Jade whistled. "That's the one. And I doubt that. If you tell him no, he'll probably kidnap you." she teased.

...

...

...

Dresses are purchased. The girls waited inside the dress store for a few minutes. "Any other plans before tomorrow?" Lindsay wondered, letting her white-blonde hair fall in her face.

"I was thinking of visiting David. Get some flowers for him." Jade suggested.

"I'll go with you." Lindsay offered. They stepped outside and got into Jade's car, where she drove to the florist.

"We should get pink roses for him so he can be pissed at us from Heaven." Jade smirked, grabbing the bouquet of flowers. She quickly paid for them and soon they were back in the car, driving to the cemetery outside of Gotham.

"Here," Jade plucked out a single rose and handed it to her best friend. "Isn't Jack's mom here too?" she remembered.

"Yeah, thank you," Lindsay accepted the flower. "I'll give this first. I'll meet you at David's."

They walked in opposite directions. When Lindsay found Mrs. Napier, she set the pink rose down, touched the grave for a brief moment, and then walked away to find Jade.

"David!" Jade remarked at the gravestone. "I miss the shit out of you buddy." she set the bouquet of roses against the gravestone. "Yeah, they're pink. And yes, I think it's hilarious."

Lindsay giggled. "Jade hasn't changed, David." she teased.

"Neither has Lindsay. All we've done is grown taller." Jade smirked. "You should see Patrick and Jack. They're six foot giants."

"I'm still singing," Lindsay continued. "I think I'm going to do choir in college. And nursing. I'm going to be a nurse." she declared.

"Homecoming's tomorrow," Jade finished. "It's the last one we'll get to have since we're seniors. Wish you could be here with us." she pat the grave and turned away. "Enjoy the pink flowers."

Lindsay smiled sadly at the site, and then finally followed Jade back to her car. "Jade?" she suddenly said.

"Yeah?"

"Your mother is buried here too."

"I don't ever want to see her again." Jade growled, igniting her vehicle to life.

* * *

><p>That night, Lindsay sat on her bed in silence as her TV was playing an episode of a night time soap opera. She jerked violently when she heard her window creak open. "How 'bout knocking?" she reminded rudely.<p>

Jack grinned innocently, joining her on the bed. Lindsay shushed him as he took off his shoes and leather coat. "Dad's downstairs awake."

Jack nodded, turning Lindsay's face towards him so he could kiss her his hello. "Did you get your dress?" he assumed.

"Yeah, Jade picked it out," Lindsay answered. "Can we talk?" she asked in a softer voice.

Jack nodded again. "About?"

"Running away."

Jack is now silent.

"Where would we go?"

"Brooklyn," he answered. "I was born there, but I've never been there."

"I didn't know that," Lindsay was stunned. "Where would we stay? Or work? Have you thought about any of this?"

"Yes I have," Jack replied. "You worry too much. We'll cross that bridge when we get there." he watched Lindsay frown. "You ought to smile more." he challened, pulling her in to kiss her again.

"My dad would kill us both if we left," she mumbled. This only makes Jack grin cheekily.

Eventually Lindsay laid down, and the last thing she could remember thinking was how boring that soap opera was.

...

...

...

Early in the morning, Lindsay wondered why her bed was warmer than usual. Did Dad turn up the heat-? She turned over to stretch, but froze. Jack was sleeping peacefully next to her. Some of his blonde curls were dangling over his face.

"Jack!" she screeched. "Get up!" she jumped off her bed, causing him to jolt awake.

"Huh-?" he slurred.

Lindsay was running back and forth across her room, finding clothes to wear. "Look away!" she hissed. Jack obeyed, turning to face the window, nestling back up to continue sleeping. Lindsay went to brush her hair, but only got one side done when she could hear Michael coming up the stairs, no doubt coming to see if she was awake.

She leaped over to violently shake Jack then fled into the hall, closing the door behind her just as she saw her father. "Morning, Dad," she faked a yawn.

"Good morning, are you almost ready?" he greeted.

"Ready for what?" the seventeen year old asked nervously.

Michael feigned offense. "You forget about going to lunch with your old man at one 'o clock?" he reminded.

"What...what time is it?" the next yawn wasn't fake.

"Just past noon," he replied.

It definitely wasn't early morning like she thought it was. "OH!" she yelled on high pitch. "I'll start getting ready!" she disappeared back into her room and saw that Jack was gone. She sighed, feeling her heart beat settle down.

* * *

><p>After a decent lunch date between the father and daughter, Michael wondered if Lindsay needed anything. "No, Jade promised to do my makeup. I'm kind of scared." she answered.<p>

"I'm scared for anything that girl does," Michael muttered. "How's her brother? Haven't sen him since their mother..."

"I only really see him when I'm at their apartment."

"Why?"

"Jack doesn't like it when I talk to him at school."

Michael shook his head. "I've known that boy almost six years and I'm still scared for anything he does."

Lindsay felt flutters of butterflies in her stomach which disgusted her because she's terrified of all bugs. This means running away with Jack would really freak Dad out. Ugh, she felt like freaking out herself.

Two hours later, Jade showed up, ready to give Lindsay a makeover. "I don't know a thing about makeup." Lindsay admitted.

"Good thing I do." Jade smirked. She made Lindsay get into her dress before going to work. She flat-ironed her hair, curled her eyelashes, applied eye liner and dark red eye shadow, and lastly put on a bit of blush on her cheeks. "Damn I'm good. You really do look like a princess."

Lindsay almost didn't recognize herself with all those cosmetics caked on her face. "I have to go get ready now, Princess. See ya in a bit." Jade packed up and took off.

"Thank you," Lindsay told her as she walked out. Now she groaned. She has to keep this look for the rest of the night. Ugh. Yuck.

...

...

...

After five o' clock, Michael pulled his car up to the curb of Gotham High School. "It ends at ten, right?" he asked.

"Yeah," Lindsay answered with a nervous sigh.

"Did Jack say when he'd be here?"

"No, but he'll come."

"I know he will. Have fun and be safe, alright? I love you."

"Love you too, Dad."

Lindsay holds her ticket and goes into the school. She hands in her ticket that will grant her entry into the dance. She takes the familiar route to the cafeteria where the dance was starting.

She didn't see any of her close friends except for Abigail. They approached each other happily. Abigail was dressed in a black dress with sparkling dark red roses on it. "You look good in red." Lindsay noticed.

"So do you." she returned.

Jade showed up half an hour later in a dress that was as blue as her eyes, with dark blue butterflies all over. Her hair had been curled so much it bounced with every step she took.

Patrick Logan showed up a few minutes after that. "You clean up well." Jade noticed, eying him in his suit from head to toe. Patrick rolled his eyes. "Alright then, all that's left is Jack and we can get shit faced!" Jade roared.

Lindsay looked worried. Where _was _Jack?

* * *

><p>"You spent...<em>my <em>money...to buy that...so you can go dance with your little bitch?"

Jack was getting very annoyed. He was already late. Now this dick head was getting in his way.

"And you want to take my car so you can drive to that dance?" he laughed. "You're out of your mind, Jackie."

"No, you are." Jack growled.

"Excuse me? Boy, go return that suit and give me my money back."

"No."

"What did you just say, Jackass?"

"I SAID NO!" Jack yelled. He pushed his father violently. "I'M FED UP WITH YOU!"

"Bull-fucking-shit, Jackass! I've been fed up with you since you killed your mother!"

"I didn't kill her! You did!"

"You did, Jack! She didn't want to see the coward you grew up to be!"

"I'M NOT A COWARD!" Jack roared. He charged at his father but he was quicker. He grabbed a half empty beer bottle and smashed it against his son's face, but that didn't stop him. Jack threw him to the ground and wrapped his hands around his father's neck and squeezed as hard as he could.

"Jack-" he choked, but Jack didn't stop. Blood from his fresh cuts dripped onto his father's face. A face that lost all life in just a few moments. Jack pulled away with wide eyes, realizing that he'd just killed his father.

He was free.

Jack jumped up, going through his father's pockets untl he found his wallet and keys. He fled the trailer they lived in and got into his father's beat up car, turning it on with the key and driving off as fast as he could.

* * *

><p>Lindsay sat at one of tables pushed away from the main floor of the cafeteria. The dance was halfway over, and Jack wasn't here.<p>

Patrick approached her with his hand held out. "Want to dance?"

"It's a slow song playing." Lindsay pointed out.

"So?"

"So, I don't think so. You're not my boyfriend. I'm not slow dancing with you."

"Come on, Lindsay. I don't have a date and yours isn't here. One dance. That's all I ask."

She scowled, but finally took his hand, letting him lead her out to the dance floor. He put his hands on her waist; she put her hands on his shoulders, and they started the dance.

"You look beautiful." Patrick admired.

"You do clean up well." Lindsay admitted with a smirk. She found herself drawn a little closer to him as they danced. Patrick had always been different to her. Not like David was, and not like Jack definitely. Yeah, she liked Patrick. He was a good looking boy. She always loved his green eyes that always seemed to be on her.

"Patrick," she whispered.

"Yes?" he looked down at her.

"Do you like me?" she asked innocently.

"Of course I do. You're my best friend...when Jack allows it, that is."

"I didn't mean it like that." Lindsay corrected.

"...oh...well...then..yeah, Lindsay. I like you. I'm in love with you." Patrick admitted.

Lindsay winced. "Why?"

"Why-? Why are you...wait, do you like me back?" Patrick realized.

Lindsay looked down, and took a step back. "No-no, I-"

Patrick held her face. "Hey, lets go outside. Get some fresh air."

Lindsay nodded. "Okay."

...

...

...

The full moon is shining outside. It's chilly. Lindsay shivered a little as they stood outside the main door to the school. "So..." Patrick whistled.

"Don't, Patrick," Lindsay warned. "We'll never work. I love Jack."

"Jack's a psychopath!" Patrick spat. "You can do better than him! You need to get away from him. Get out of here when you graduate. Go to your mother's or something. If you let me, I'll take you away."

_What?_

"I'll protect you," he promised, stroking Lindsay's face. Before she knew it, he was kissing her right there on the spot.

"Stop!" she scolded, but he pulled right back in.

"Give me a chance." he begged, kissing her harder. Lindsay was about to fight again, but someone beat her to it. Patrick was ripped away from her and slammed against the wall next to the school's double doors.

"Jack?!" she squealed his name upon recognition. The lights from the school revealed blood on his face. _What happened?!_

"I'm not afraid of you," Patrick growled.

Jack pulled out a small pocket knife and stabbed Patrick in the gut. Lindsay gasped and covered her mouth. Jack stabbed him again. "She's mine," he bellowed. "Mine, mine, mine, mine!" with each "mine" he repeatedly stabbed Patrick.

"Jack!" Lindsay screamed, bursting into tears. Jack stopped, stepping back as Patrick's body flopped to the ground. He dropped the bloodied knife, and then stepped over to face Lindsay. She ended up backing away from him until her back was against the wall.

"Don't be afraid," Jack said to her, putting his bloodied hands on her face. The older blood on his face had dripped all over, soaking down to the top of his suit. "Baby I'm crazy," he whispered. "I'm a freak."

Lindsay whimpered and bravely spoke. "No. You're not crazy, Jack. You're not a freak. You're perfect, just the way you are."

"You're beautiful when you cry," Jack admitted. He put his bloodied lips on hers and kissed her passionately. Lindsay didn't fight. She knew this was it. She kissed him back willingly. "_I love you."_ was the last thing he said to her before he turned and ran. He was so fast, he was gone in seconds.

"Jack?!" Lindsay screamed. "JACK?!" she was shaking so bad. She remembered that Patrick was lying dead by her feet. She looked down at his body, and everything blackened out.

* * *

><p>Jonathan Crane looked up at the clock as it struck midnight. The dance ended two hours ago. Pretty soon, his sister would call him, asking him to find a way to get her and take her home because she was stupid enough to be drinking. Again.<p>

Instead, there was a knock on the apartment door. Jonathan raised an eye. Maybe she's so drunk she forgot she has keys. Ignorant.

He got up, and walked to the door. His long dark hair blew behind him when he opened the door, there was a large gust of wind that greeted him. That wasn't all the sixteen year old got. There was a girl standing before him. A terrified looking girl with blood on her cheeks and lips that nearly matched the color of the dress she was wearing.

"Lindsay?" he said cautiously.

"He's gone," she rasped, as tears rolled down her face. "Jack's...gone..."

Jonathan narrowed his eyes and opened his mouth but nothing came out because he had nothing to say. Nothing nice, at least. To his surprise, Lindsay started wailing and came at him, hugging his bony figure tightly. He couldn't help but hug her back.

"Don't ever leave me Jonathan," she cried. "Don't ever leave me."

He smirked evilly but she didn't see of course. "I won't leave you." he promised.

* * *

><p><strong>don't kill me, story's not over yet *runs and hides*<strong>


	19. Comfortably Numb

**4/16/14 - ****To those who answered my idea about possibly writing in some of the games - thank you!**

* * *

><p>College.<p>

It's supposed to be an even better time of your life than high school. For Jade Crane, it was. She did her four years and started to make her way up Gotham City as a journalist. And a mother, too. She met a Hispanic man from the Narrows and married him for about a year and a half. Her daughter Tabitha was the only good thing Jade got from the whole experience.

Lindsay Stark struggled like no other to keep functioning after what happened. She barely made it out of high school and dropped her lifelong dream of theater and choir, going straight to medical school. Jade knew Lindsay wanted to be a nurse, but only as a minor job. Unfortunately, Jack's absence and Jonathan's presence changed everything. Jade's brother had a free ride through school, becoming a doctor and a master in psycho...

Psychofarm...

No, it was spelled pharm. Psychopharm...something. Lindsay couldn't remember when she was telling Jade about it.

"Would I qualify to be a patient of yours?" Lindsay asked Jonathan one day as they were having lunch together.

"You tell me. Are you taking any drugs?" he asked back.

"If I was, you would know. You are the only doctor I would trust to write me prescriptions." Lindsay admitted.

"The only way I would do that is if you were a patient at Arkham." Jonathan informed. Lindsay smirked a little and looked down at her coffee cup she held.

Jade was always cautious of their relationship. Lindsay didn't want him and he didn't want her. At least that's what they wanted everyone to believe, but Jade knew beter. She's best friend to one and estranged sister to the other. She was drunk one night and dared asked Lindsay about it. "What's keeping you from haggling my poor excuse of a brother like you did Jack?"

Hearing his name stung Lindsay as she sat next to Jade on their couch. "He's not interested in relationships and neither am I."

"What if he _is _interested, but he hasn't made a move because you ain't made a move?" Jade slurred.

"You were always against him liking me! Are you trying to support it now because Jack's gone?!"

"Yes, Princess! That's exactly why! Jonathan may be Doctor Creep but at least he never left, and he's always been head over heels for you."

Lindsay cried herself to sleep that night. She cried for Jack because she loved him, and she hates him for leaving her that night, so many years ago. She loves Jonathan too, no matter how hard she tried to deny it, but he wasn't Jack. She didn't want to hurt him.

No one could ever be Jack...

* * *

><p>Lindsay surprisingly called Jonathan the next morning, requesting another lunch date. He never turned her down of course, but first he had to attend a hearing for a man trying to plead insanity. Lindsay decided to wait outside of the court room for him. She pulled her sunny blonde hair into a messy bun while she stood patiently. She felt a little out of place since everyone here was dressed in suits.<p>

When she finally saw Jonathan coming down the large staircase, she noticed that he'd gotten a new pair of glasses. He no longer wore those thick and bulgy ones he used to push up all the time. Now he wore small and clear frames that definitely gave him more of a doctor appearance.

Lindsay also noticed that the Assisstant District Attorney was hot on his tail. A very old but familiar sense of jealousy overwhelmed Lindsay, and she wanted to tell Rachel Dawes to step back about fifty feet and walk away from what was-

What was-

What was...

_No._

_Stop it._

"Dr. Crane,"

"Miss Dawes,"

"You really think that a man who butchers people for the mob doesn't belong in jail?"

"I wouldn't have testified to that otherwise, would I?"

"He's the third of Carmine Falcone's thugs you've had declared insane and moved into your asylum."

Rachel Dawes was one stubborn woman. Lindsay listened to Jonathan make a smart remark to her before walking away, but not after telling the District Attorney as he walked past, "Mr. Finch! I think you should check with Miss Dawes here about any implications your office has authorized her to make...if any."

Lindsay was shredding an enormous smile when Jonathan approached her. "Oh you didn't hear all that, did you?" He realized.

"She's just trying to do her job," Lindsay shrugged.

"So am I, Lindsay." Jonathan replied as they walked out of the building together. Lindsay turned her head quickly to gaze at Rachel, who was being very affectionate with Mr. Finch. She almost stuck out her tongue at her like a child would.

Lindsay was on a first name basis with Dr. Crane. Miss Dawes wasn't.

Maybe Jade was right after all.

* * *

><p>Jonathan <em>did<em> drive a nice car. Lindsay gladly left her car in the parking lot after being promised he'd drive her back. It was only when they neared their destination that Lindsay's phone rang. Damn it, she hoped it wasn't the hospital. Today is supposed to be her day off.

_"Lindsay,"_ Jade bellowed from the other line. _"I can't get out at normal time. We just found out Bruce Wayne is back in town and boss is kicking our ass on making this the front page. Can you pick up Tabby from day-care?"_

"Alright," Lindsay sighed.

_"Thanks Princess, see you guys tonight."_ That was all Jade barely let out as she hung up.

"...Was that Jade?" Jonathan realized.

"Yes," Lindsay confirmed quietly.

"I haven't seen or heard of her in years," Jonathan said. "She was talking about Bruce Wayne?"

"Yeah, he's back here in Gotham, I guess," Lindsay explained. "I've never even seen the guy. I don't even know what he looks like."

"Time to read a newspaper," Jonathan suggested.

"Also, um...shit. This is awkward. I have to pick up Tabby from day-care." Lindsay added.

"Now?"

"Yes."

"I'll take you there." He offered.

"Only if you promise not to tell her I was with you when I got her." Lindsay begged.

"Like I said, I haven't seen or spoken to my sister since before college," Jonathan reminded. "Your secret is safe with me."

"Thank you," Lindsay sighed in relief.

Jonathan drove all the way to the day care center and waited while Lindsay went in. She looked around for her favorite little girl. The almost four year old squealed at the sight of her, and ran to her. Lindsay lifted Tabby up and hugged her, signed her out and carried her outside. "Tabby, we're in a different car today, so your car seat isn't there. I'm going to put the big girl buckle over you, and you need to sit very still, okay?" Lindsay explained.

"Okay," Tabby replied, her caramel colored eyes wide and alert as Lindsay opened the back door to seat her and buckle her in. Tabby saw a strange man sat in the driver's seat. "Hi!" She greeted him.

"Hello," Jonathan said quietly, looking at his niece for the first time ever. At the first resemblence he saw of his sister in her, he looked away. He couldn't do it.

Lindsay got back in the car and said nervously, "Tabby, this is...this is my friend."

"Your boyfriend," Tabby giggled from innocence.

"Noooo..." Lindsay childishly remarked. This threw Tabby and herself into a fit of laughter, making Jonathan grow even more uncomfortable.

When they returned to the parking lot of the court house, Lindsay unlocked her car so Tabby could crawl in and buckle herself into her own car seat. Lindsay had dipped back into Jonathan's car to conclude with him.

"She's as lively as her mother," He commented.

"Oh yeah," she agreed. "Hey, I'm sorry about this. I know that couldn't have been easy, and I wish you were able to have met her under better circumstances."

"I don't think my sister ever intended on me meeting her." Jonathan said coldly.

"I won't disagree," Lindsay said. "Hey, um...about what I said..."

"When?"

"When I introduced you to Tabby..."

"What about it?"

"What I called you..."

"Your friend." He remembered.

"And what she said..."

"Your boyfriend."

Lindsay was sure her face was red and hot. "I wouldn't...I...I'm sorry." She jumped out of the car and dashed over to hers, getting in quickly and driving the hell away.

She'd made a mistake even trying to suggest what she wanted. Did she even want it? Did he even want it? What if he finally moved on because she waited too long to even say anything?

Lindsay forced back tears so Tabby wouldn't see. She tried to remind herself of the one thought that kept her comfortably numb.

_He wasn't Jack._

* * *

><p>A few days later, Lindsay was watching the news while at work, about some bat figure who captured Carmine Falcone for the police.<p>

A bat figure?

"Gotham's full of psychos," she heard one nurse remark about it.

"But the police were after that Falcone forever now, and they got him."

"No they didn't. The bat guy did."

"Guy? Who's to say it wasn't a bat girl?"

No one would shut up about the bat man for days. When Lindsay caught wind that Falcone was sent to Arkham Asylum, it explained why Lindsay hadn't heard from Jonathan. He's probably loving his new patient.

One night, Lindsay worked over time at Gotham General and wanted to get home quick, so she drove through the Narrows as a shortcut. It was pouring rain so it added to the creepiness of the place as she drove.

Some idiot pedesrtrians tried crossing the street without looking so she slammed on her brakes, just as something huge dropped onto the hood of her car with a thud.

"Whoa!" She exclaimed, as whatever the the thing was got up. It was some fucker in a costume. Holy shit, was it the bat guy? Did he just dent her car?!

Lindsay's brown eyes widened as she watched the guy jump onto the ground, looking bewildered and running off into the alley. Lindsay was frozen, watching until he was way out of sight.

Did she really just see the bat man?

He dented her hood. Goddamnit guy.

It got stranger the next morning. She woke up to her phone constantly going off. It turned out to be Jonathan, who had an interesting proposal for her.

_"You asked if you would qualify to be my patient."_

Lindsay groaned and stretched as she woke up more. "Yes?"

_"If you'd like, you can help me with something. I hear that some of the inmates are planning some kind of revolt in attempts to break out. Everyone knows that interrogating them won't get us any answers. But if someone approached them from the inside..."_

"...You want me to fake being a patient?"

_"You would be completely safe, Lindsay, and-"_

"I can't take any days off work," Lindsay stated.

_"I can take care of that for you,"_ he promised.

Lindsay bit her lip. She wanted to help. God forbid any nutjobs from Arkham Asylum should ever escape. And he wanted her to mingle with them?

Fuck it. She met the bat man last night. Now she was about to pretend to be a nutjob herself. What could possibly go wrong?


	20. Release The Panic

She's got big brown eyes, and long, sunny blonde hair currently pulled into a ponytail. She's about 5'9 and dressed in white sneakers and an orange jumpsuit.

She is a fake inmate at Arkham Asylum. Orderlies escorted her into the cafeteria, since it was currently lunch time.

She wasn't hungry so she walked around slowly until a man called her over to sit at his table. She acted shy as she sat down. She wouldn't make eye contact.

"What's your name, beautiful?" He asked.

"Lindsay," she hesitated. "Lindsay Napier."

That stinging feeling came back to her.

A man who she sat next to giggled. "You're pretty..."

"Shuddup," the other guy spat. "What are you here for?"

Lindsay frowned. "I stabbed a girl."

"Why?"

"She kissed my boyfriend."

"She kissed your boyfriend," the guy repeated, and then roared with laughter. "You're too beautiful to be in here, sweetie."

"Why are you here?" Lindsay questioned.

"Oh, I followed this girl around everywhere she went for years. I gave her a baby and then I was here." He explained.

A sickening feeling came over Lindsay when she figured out what that meant. This place was full of psychos. She wanted to get out of here as quickly as she could.

"You can call me Devil," the first guy introduced.

"Is that your nickname?" Lindsay presumed.

"I didn't choose it, my mother did," he laughed. "Do you have any nicknames?"

Lindsay shrugged. "Princess," she muttered. "And Linny."

"Princess and Linny," Devil repeated. "Princess Linny! I see what you did there!" he howled.

Lindsay hugged herself and faked a whimper. "I want to go home."

"Princess, if you really did stab someone, you're not going home," Devil admitted. "Not for a while."

* * *

><p>Jonathan came to check up on Lindsay later that night. "Do you want to back out?" He offered.<p>

Lindsay shook her head. "Before you go, I want to say something."

"Of course," he said politely, standing by the door.

Lindsay gulped, telling herself that it's time to be brave, because it's now or never. "Jonathan..."

...

...

...

"Yes, Lindsay?"

...

...

...

He stood there as Lindsay clenched her fists and stared at her feet.

"Lindsay?"

...

...

...

He wasn't Jack. But Jack isn't here. This is Jonathan. He's here. He's always been here.

"Lindsay-" Jonathan repeated, but stopped when she finally responded. She threw herself at him and put her lips over his and kissed him deeply, and did it again, and again until he finally kissed her back. His little suitcase dropped to the floor. He let this moment he knew he would regret ending go on a little longer until he finally pulled her away. "Not here." He said quietly.

"No one will see," Lindsay spoke. "The door's shut."

"Not. Here." He repeated. He picked up his fallen case and turned to the door.

"Don't go," Lindsay begged. "Don't leave me. You promised. You promised that night..."

"Lindsay, I'm keeping that promise," he reassured. "But I have to go. I will come back and get you out of here."

* * *

><p>He wasn't coming back, but she was getting out of here.<p>

Devil saved a seat for Princess at breakfast the next morning. This time she was actually hungry but the food was awful. She forced it down anyway.

"How was your first night?" Devil asked her curiously.

Lindsay looked nervous. "I had a nightmare." she whispered.

"About what?" Devil whispered back.

"My-my boyfriend," Lindsay choked. Her high school years of theater was paying off finally. "He wouldn't stop laughing at me."

"If I get out of here before you do, Princess," Devil hushed. "I'll find your boyfriend and stab him. Then you can have me!" he chuckled.

This guy was off his rocker. No doubt he was getting out anytime soon.

That night, Lindsay was sitting in her cell, bored out of her freaking mind. Something was wrong. Something was wrong with Jonathan. Not once did she hear anything from the other inmates about breaking out.

Why would he lie-?

Did he trick her into coming here-? Was something going to happen? Yes. Yes there was. It started when the power went out, and then the backup generators kicked in.

Less than a couple of hours later, every cell door in the asylum was opened. All the nutjobs were free.

Lindsay remained in her cell with the light off, waiting for the majority of the crazies to get away from the area. Who knew who was dangerous and who wasn't, and who's to say they wouldn't think the same about her.

Finally, she crept out of her cell, wondering if Jonathan was the one who opened the doors. She quickly realized it wasn't him, when she saw him in a room, strapped in a straightjacket.

A couple of fake SWAT members tossed a brown mask at him. "Time to play." One said eagerly.

Lindsay's "friend" Devil approached her from behind. "Let's get out of here, Princess!" He grabbed her hand and dragged her to where the other inmates were going. Someone blew a hole in a wall that led to the outside. By then Lindsay was released from her buddy Devil, and she was on her own in the Narrows. Crazies running everywhere as police forces showed up.

She's dressed up as a crazy! They're gonna think she's one of them! She needs to get out of here now, without getting caught.

She blindly ran towards the only way out of the Narrows - the bridge, but the sight of more police from afar stopped her. She'll swim off of this island if she has to.

Lindsay ran through alleys. A cop started chasing her. "No!" She screamed, climbing over a parked car. Just as she hopped over the hood, all of the sewer holes suddenly exploded. There just so happened to be one underneath the car, so Lindsay almost flipped forward, landing on the ground hard.

Some kind of gas or water vapor started to fill the air. Lindsay groaned as she got herself up, feeling dizzy from her possible concussion. She turned around to look for the cop and that was a mistake.

Coming from every orifice on his head were bugs. Lots of them. The things Lindsay is absolutely afraid of. She screamed as loud as she could and stumbled back, turning and taking off. Every civilian or inmate she saw had turned into bug hosts.

Wasn't this from the Bible? Insects attacking humans? Some kind of plague?

Lindsay bumped into someone who had cockroaches coming out of his mouth. She shrieked and kept running.

Gotham was being taken over by bugs. Soon they would take over Earth, and Lindsay would be their slave. The idea horrified her as she suddenly came across another man who had flies and moths crawling out of his eyes. He had a pistol. He must have been a cop. He aimed his weapon at Lindsay and damn near would have shot her if another guy hadn't came up from behind him and knocked him out.

Locusts and bees domained over this new guy. Lindsay panicked and ran away again. Tears streamed down her face as the thick moist substance in the air blurred her vision. She made another mistake when she went to wipe her tears away, when she felt it.

Cold.

Slimy.

Insects. On her face.

This was it. Lindsay was going to be eaten alive by bugs. She didn't want to die like this. Like an animal. So she started clawing at her face with her nails to get whatever she could off, and it was painful. Blood replaced her tears. Before she knew it, she was on the ground, and then...

...

...

...

_"Baby,"_

...

...

...

_"Baby,"_

...

...

...

_"Lindsay!"_

...

...

...

Was she in Hell? First insects invading, and now she was looking at Jack. He stared her down with a grim smile. "Princess," he spoke more clearer. "You got to get out of those clothes."

"...why?"

"Well, I want to see you naked," he joked. "No, it's because when they find you, they'll throw you back into the asylum. That woman over there, she looks about your size..."

Lindsay's eyes cast upon an unconscious woman near her. Butterflies were firmly latched onto her. Lindsay whimpered and forcefully swat the butterflies away, and undressed the woman. Now she scampered into an alley and changed out of the orange jumpsuit. After she redressed, she was running again, and that was the last thing she remembered, forgetting to wonder where Jack went, or where he even came from.

* * *

><p>The nightmare was over. When Lindsay woke up again, in Gotham General, she stared into the face of Jade's daughter, Tabby. "Aunt Lindsay!" She exclaimed, and gave her a big hug.<p>

"Hey sweetie," Lindsay barely let out as she hugged her back. Jade stood by them with wide eyes. "What's going on?" She asked her.

"You tell me," Jade answered. "Why were you in the Narrows? Your face looks like hammered shit, by the way."

"I was-"

"You know you were poisoned? Everyone was. Arkham Asylum was putting some kind of shit in our water for weeks."

"Jonathan-"

"Don't even say his name. They can't find him. Do you know anything about what happened?"

"I..." Lindsay squinted her eyes. "I saw Jack."

"You _what?"_

"Uncle Jack?" Tabby guessed, but she was promptly ignored.

"He was there, he-he helped me," Lindsay remembered.

"Lindsay, there's no way Jack was there. You were poisoned. You hallucinated." Jade explained.

Oh. That's right. The insects. Lindsay shuddered.

"Everyone was given an antidote," Jade continued. "So you should be able to get out soon."

"Yeah!" Tabby grinned. "Aunt Lindsay gets to come home soon!"

After they left, Lindsay watched the news for the rest of the day. Indeed Dr. Crane was responsible for the break out of Arkham Asylum's inmates. And indeed he was missing, along with half of the inmates from the asylum. Did Devil get captured, or is he still on the loose too?

Just a few weeks later, Lindsay came home from work to see Tabby watching the news about the Batman. The little girl was mesmerized by the guy, whoever he was.

Jade was sat at the kitchen table, going through a deck of cards. "Something up?" Lindsay guessed, sitting across from her.

Miss Crane flickered her blue eyes up at Lindsay. "There's this guy we had to write an article about today. We don't know a damned thing about him except that he's been killing people..."

"...And...?" Lindsay ushered.

"He leaves one of these behind at every crime. I think he does it on purpose, like it's a signature or something."

"Leaves one of what?"

Jade slipped Lindsay a card face down. She flipped the card over to reveal a Joker.

Something didn't feel right about this.


	21. Something Wicked Comes This Way

Jade Crane drove her car into the lot, parked, and shut the engine off. Putting her keys in the purse, she zipped it shut and sighed.

"Mommy?"

Jade looked in the back seat at her now five-year old daughter. "Yeah?"

"Where are we?" Tabby asked, unbuckling her seat-belt.

"The bank," Jade did the same as her. "Your father decided to be a real pain in the ass, trying to keep money for _you_, away." she explained. She got out and walked around to the back, opening the back door for Tabby to climb out.

Jade moved Tabby's thin black hair out of her face. "I should have put your hair up. Hold still." she pulled a hair tie off her wrist, pulling her daughter's hair into a ponytail. "Better?" she asked.

"Yeah," Tabby took her mother's hand. She walked happily alongside her. "Can we go see Aunt Lindsay at the hospital today?" she asked.

"I don't know, kid. The hospital is always busy. I'll call her when we get back in the car." Jade told her. Entering the bank, they walked past the glass office, seeing the manager sat, reading something. He'd just put his glasses on as they walked by.

"It's cold in here," Tabby whined.

"Yeah it is." Jade agreed. They got in line. "I don't got all day." Jade whined now.

This is when the extremely loud sound of gunshots came out of nowhere.

Tabby shrieked as Jade quickly turned around. Three guys from the way they came in, appeared, one grabbing an officer and pinning him down. The other two kept going as one said, "Alright, hands up, heads down!"

They had clown masks on.

The man with the gun approached the bankers as Jade and Tabby dropped down and scooted against the counter walls. The third man had a duffel bag, setting it up on a table.

Tabby was crying now as Jade tried to calm her down. "Shh, it's okay, it's okay."

"Who are they?" she cried.

"Bad guys," Jade assumed. "They want money…"

"Heads down!" the yelling man ordered everyone. "Come on toots, you're taking a dive." he yanked a short blonde haired banker from her desk.

The man with the duffel bag was pulling what sounded like pins, handing everyone something small. When he got to Jade and Tabby, he stopped for a moment as Tabby's cries were worse from fear.

"Obviously we don't want you doing anything with your hands other than holding on for dear life," the other man explained.

Duffel-bag man pulled the pin on a grenade and shoved it into Jade's hands. "Oh, shit," she said. "Oh, shit, oh _shit_! I don't like grenades!"

The man stared at her for a moment. Tabby looked away as Jade winced. What was this guy's _problem_? It was like he recognized her or something... She was tempted to head butt him. But quickly, the man moved on to the next person.

Jade's hands trembled as she held the explosive. Tabby calmed down slightly. "Don't let go, Mommy," she begged. "Those things blow us up. Don't let go!"

"I won't, I won't, baby." Jade sputtered.

The man near the bank manager knocked out the security guard yelling, "Stay on the ground! Nobody move!"

Both mother and daughter gasped when they heard a much louder gunshot. The man who'd gave out the grenades slid behind a counter, as the manager was attempting to shoot him, a shotgun in his hand.

With each shot Tabby kept shrieking as the grenade man was crawling away. "Yeah!" the manager yelled. "Do you have any idea who you're stealing from?" he asked. "You and your friends are dead!"

Jade watched the big-mouthed masked man jump up just as the manager shot him, then the grenade man popping out and shot the manager down.

He tilted his head as he watched him fall. The guy who was shot got up and hissed, "Where did you learn to count?" and went down into the vault.

Now the guy, who hadn't spoken a word yet, slowly walked back and forth down, making sure everyone held on to their given grenades.

_Why didn't he make Tabby hold one? _Jade asked this as he walked by. What the hell did she care. Tabby was safer _not _having one. Maybe it had something to do with when the guy paused at them…

Maybe he felt bad for terrorizing the kid. Sick fuck. Jade looked at her daughter, who'd wrapped her arms around herself. "It'll be over soon," she whispered. "They'll take their money and leave."

Tabby nodded.

When the guy who was shot in the shoulder returned with several bags of money, he said, "That's a lot of money," as the poor-counting guy grouped all the bags together. "If this Joker guy was so smart, he would have brought us a bigger car."

Jade heard a gun cock as she felt ready to snap. This was all done by the _Joker_? That little son of a…whoever this guy was, was purely nuts.

She looked over to see a gun pointed at the grenade man. "I'm bettin' the Joker told you to kill me as soon as we loaded the cash." he assumed.

The other man looked at his wrist. "No, no, no…" he said. Jade heard him mumble something about a…bus driver?

"Bus driver?" she'd heard right. "What _bus _driver?" Jade nearly dropped her grenade when the back of a school bus broke through the front entrance to the bank, finally knocking out and shutting up the loud-mouthed guy.

The emergency exit of the school bus opened, a shorter man jumped out. "School's out." he announced. "Time to go." he helped load the bags. "That's a lot of money," he noticed. "What happened to the other guys—?"

Jade was glad her daughter buried her face in her chest, not having seen the bus driver get shot down. The only remaining guy grabbed the last bag, and tossed it on.

"_Think you're smart, huh?"_

Jade's blue eyes were wide. The manager was _alive_? "The guy that hired you…he'll only do the same." he moaned. "Oh, criminals in this town used to believe in things. Honor…respect."

The last robber alive approached him as the manager asked, "What do you believe in, huh? What do you believe in!?"

The robber inserted a gas grenade in his mouth and said, "I believe, whatever doesn't _kill _you, only makes you…" he pulled his mask off. "…_stran_ger."

Jade's mouth dropped. The guy's face was plastered with white and red makeup. The Joker? The fucking _Joker._

The Joker growled at the manager as he stood back up and returned to the bus. He hopped on, shut the emergency door, and made his way to the front to drive away.

Just like that.

Jade heard the bank manager moan as the bus disappeared. Then she heard sirens.

* * *

><p>Lindsay Stark must have sped through at least three red lights. Or something like that. When she arrived at the bank, there were several ambulances.<p>

"_Aunt Lindsay!"_

She got out of her car as Tabby sprinted towards her, tears streaking out of her caramel colored eyes. "Oh, shh," Lindsay pulled the girl into a hug. "It's okay," she soothed.

"I'm gonna rip that d-bag a new one," Jade scowled.

"Who?" Lindsay asked.

"The Joker," Tabby told her. "He took all the money from the bank." she explained.

"Holy shit," Lindsay said. "Are you guys okay?" she asked.

"We're fine. Shaken up." Jade admitted. "How did you get out of work?"

"I told my boss you guys were here."

"I told my boss I was here too. He didn't ask if I was okay, he asked if I could come in and start plastering tomorrow's newspaper about my firsthand experience."

"Dick. I'll take Tabby home if you have to go to work."

"Would you? Thanks."

Lindsay nodded. "Of course, that okay?" she smiled at Tabby.

Tabby nodded. After saying goodbye to Jade, she was safely in the back of Lindsay's small car as she drove away.

"You okay?" Lindsay asked.

"Yeah," Tabby answered. "The Joker made Mommy hold a grenade."

"…he did _what_?"

"He made her hold a grenade," the five year old repeated

"How did you know it was him?" Lindsay dared ask.

"I remember his mask; he gave Mommy the grenade and then he took it off." Tabby explained, unfazed.

"Maybe we shouldn't talk about it," Lindsay murmured.

"Batman will get The Joker," Tabby said proudly.

"You think so?" Lindsay smirked. "Did I tell you the story of how he dented my old car?"

"Yeah," Tabby gleamed. "That's why you got a new car."

"He owes me for that!" Lindsay teased as she drove the rest of the way home. Now in this safe confine, Tabby suddenly noticed that something was missing from the collection of picture frames on the shelf on the far side of the living room-

"Where's the picture of Uncle Jack?"

"What?" Lindsay questioned. She walked over to the shelf and gazed at the photos. The high school photo of Jack was set down flat. The frame was as black as the shelf so that's why it was hard to see it was laid down. "Maybe your mom knocked it over." Lindsay suggested, and a flash of fear overwhelmed her when she set the photo back up. The frame wasn't positioned on this side of the shelf originally.

It was now next to the photo of Halloween from freshman year. Jade was a zombie. Jonathan was a scarescrow. Lindsay was a dead bride.

Jack.

Jack was...a clown.

Lindsay had seen a couple of pictures of The Joker thanks to Jade. He put a ton of makeup on to look like...a clown.

Was this a coincidence? Who moved the picture of Jack?

_Jack..._

"Tabby," Lindsay swallowed. "Go to your room."

"Okay," the child gleamed, going across the living room and towards the stairs. When she was out of sight, Lindsay went around the first floor and made sure all the windows and the doors were locked. Then she trudged upstairs to do the same thing.

"What are you doing?" Tabby asked curiously when Lindsay entered her room and was pushing down on the window and tightening the lock.

"Just double checking," Lindsay let out nervously. Tabby simply shrugged and turned her television on to watch cartoons. Lindsay left the room and went into her own room with a sigh.

This is when she saw Christopher passed out in her bed.

Lindsay just about shrieked, completely forgetting her boyfriend worked third shift and crashed here after getting off. Lindsay half smiled at his sleping innocence as she changed out of her hospital attire quietly, but the man with tattoos all over his arms woke up sleepily. "Hey," he yawned loudly.

"Hey you," Lindsay returned. "It's nearly the evening."

Christopher groaned and turned over in the bed. The only curls he had in his dark hair were his bangs and they were currently dangling over his face. "Did you get off early?" he realized.

"Not intentionally. Another bank was robbed - Jade and Tabby were there."

"Are they alright?" Christopher asked with sudden worry.

"Yeah, Tabby's in her room right now. Jade went to work 'cause her boss said so."

"Dick."

"That's what I said," Lindsay laughed as she pulled her hair up into a ponytail. Christopher lounged himself out of bed now and walked over to her, hugging her tightly from behind. They kissed for a brief moment until Tabby suddenly burst into the room.

"Aunt Lindsay, I'm..."

...

...

...

_"Hi Uncle Jack!"_

...

...

...

What did she just say-?

_"Hi Chris!"_

...

...

...

_Yes, she said Chris, idiot, _Lindsay scolded herself. Of course she did. Christopher looked nothing like Jack. Jack was...

The fear from earlier swarmed Lindsay and she let herself think after such a long time as she looked at Christopher giving Tabby a high five-

He still wasn't Jack, no matter if he ever came back or not.


	22. Hello There, Angel of My Nightmare

**For this chapter, I personally enjoy writing Maroni. I saw him (Eric Roberts) in an episode of Celebrity Wife Swap - let's just say he's much more enjoyable on screen than in person. **

**By the way I no doubt suck at writing The Joker. Don't kill me. The beginning scene is right from the movie but it's one of my favorites, but pay attention to what I added in c: I STILL OWN NOTHING EXCEPT LINDSAY, JADE, AND ANY OTHER PEOPLES I MADE. EVERYTHING ELSE BELONGS TO DC AND NOLAN. NO SUE ME PLEASE!**

* * *

><p>No one was sure how The Joker got in, but he did, and personally, Salvatore Maroni thought it was hilarious how the clown thought he could just up and control them.<p>

Before this came to play, they were talking to the Chinese man on the TV. Lau simply bragged about how their sixty eight million dollars stolen by The Joker was considered to be small.

Maroni described him as a "two bit whackjob who wears a cheap purple suit and makeup" but he would soon see that the so called whackjob's suit was far from cheap.

When Lau assured everyone that the rest of their money was safe, The Joker chuckled slowly and sarcastically. This is when he made his grand appearance. "I thought _my_ jokes were bad," he remarked.

_You and your jokes_, an old familiar giggle of a voice entered his mind, but he ignored the memory like always.

The mobster named Gambol spoke to him first, "Give me a good reason why I shouldn't have my boy here pull your head off." He pointed at his buddy next to him.

"How about a magic trick?" The Joker offered. He pulled out a pencil he'd found on the floor of the school bus he stole, and jammed it into the table before him. He used enough force that it went in about half an inch. He circled his hand around the eraser bit and claimed he was going to make the whole thing disappear.

Gambol had enough, even before this whackjob came in. He motioned his "boy" to get up and take care of this guy. When he was close enough, The Joker grabbed his face and quickly threw him down at the table. Half of the pencil went right through his eye, killing him instantly.

The Joker let him drop to the floor and said happily, "Tada! See? It's gone."

Maroni was immediately impressed so he decided he was gonna sit this one out. He didn't want any of his guys to get victimized by a friggin' pencil. Chechen must have felt the same because he had a curious look in his eyes.

"By the way," The Joker spoke directly to Mr. Maroni as he made himself comfortable. "This suit wasn't cheap. Especially to get it this color, but you ought to know..._you_ bought it..."

Maroni felt himself smiling for some reason. Gambol got up in a state of rage but Chechen addressed him in his foreign accent. "Sit. I want to hear his proposition."

"You should listen to him," The Joker advised.

Gambol sat down slowly, not taking his dark, angry eyes off of him.

"Let's go back a year," The Joker suggested. "The cops and lawyers wouldn't think twice about crossing you. What happened? Your balls drop off? Hmm? You see, a guy like me..."

"A _freak_," Gambol snarled.

A couple of mobsters laughed.

_You're not a freak. You're perfect_, her voice reassured The Joker in his mind. Again he shook the memory away.

"Listen," he said, promptly ignoring Gambol's insult. "I know why you guys have your..." He cleared his throat. "Group therapy sessions in the day time. I know why you won't go out at night. The Batman."

Maroni was twiddling his fingers, his big grin now slimmed down to just a faint smile.

"He has shown Gotham your true colors," The Joker continued. "The DA? He's just the beginning. And to the man on the little television over there - he'll get caught and he'll _squeal_!"

Lau turned his head nervously as The Joker punched his fist into his own palm, and then cut the connection when he was insulted yet again, getting called a squealer.

"What do you suggest?" Chechen asked.

"What do you think? We kill the Batman," The Joker answered, moving his dyed dark green curls out of his face.

Maroni's grin returned now as everyone but Gambol laughed at him. "Why haven't you done it already?" Salvatore asked then.

"If you're good at something, never do it for free," The Joker implied with the tilt of his head.

"How much you want?" Chechen wondered, and Maroni had a good idea what this guy would reply with.

"Uh...half."

Everyone was laughing again.

"You're crazy," Gambol growled.

_You're not crazy, Jack_, she reassured him again. This time he welcomed the memory.

"I'm not crazy," he just about repeated. Maroni could have sworn that he let slip a quick look of guilt and pitifulness when he said that. Like he had forced himself to believe what he just said.

"If we don't deal with this ASAP then uh..." The Joker pointed at Gambol. "Little Gambol here won't be able to get a nickel for his grandma."

The mobster punched the table. "ENOUGH FROM THE CLOWN!" He roared, jumping up. The Joker jumped up with him and opened his coat to reveal a string of grenades ready to explode.

"Ah-ta-ta-ta," he nearly sang. "Let's not blow this out of proportion." He deadpanned.

Everyone else got up now with fear spreading. Maroni remained in his seat, his smile totally gone. Gambol spat, "You think you can steal from us and just walk away?"

"Yeah," The Joker replied casually.

"I'm putting the word out," Gambol decided. "Five hundred grand for this clown _dead_. A million alive, so I can teach him some manners first."

The Joker pointed a finger at him, maybe as a warning, then he addressed the others. "Why don't you guys give me a call when you want to take things a little more seriously? Here's my card..." He gracefully pulled out a playing card with his namesake on it and set it on the table. He then reminded everyone that he was rigged to blow, so he could just do as Gambol said. Steal from them and walk away freely.

Salvatore Maroni had to bring back his smile, even after the clown was long gone.

As The Joker fled, her words threatened to spill into his mind yet again. The Joker growled to himself and decided to hear what she always had to say - what he wanted to hear and didn't want to hear at the same time.

_You're not crazy, Jack. You're not a freak. You're perfect, just the way you are._

* * *

><p>"I am beyond pissed at Bruce Wayne!" Jade Crane hissed to start off her weekend after work. It was now about two weeks after the little incident at the mob bank.<p>

"I wanted to see the ballet," her young daughter pouted.

"You can blame Wayne for that. Who does he think he is? Taking all the dancers on a cruise? He doesn't know how many strings I had to pull to get us in to that! Oooh!"

Tabby couldn't help but giggle at her mother. "It's okay Mommy."

"Sure," Jade scowled childishly.

When Lindsay made it home, she too had to listen to Jade's continuous bitching. "I'm gonna get back at him," she decided. "He's supposed to be throwing a fundraiser for the District Attorney. I'm gonna be there."

"You're gonna go to a Bruce Wayne fundraiser?" Lindsay laughed. "Don't you get tired of writing about him?"

"Never," Jade replied. "The more I can write for the newspaper, the more I get paid."

Lindsay nodded, heading for the stairs. "I'm going out with Christopher tonight," she informed.

"Get it," Jade winked. Lindsay scowled at her and took off to her bedroom to get ready.

She had a good time with her boyfriend that night. He was honestly a good guy despite his tattoos giving him an intimidating appearance. He was also an ex-Marine so Lindsay came up with the nickname "her knight in tattooed armor" and he only laughed every time she brought it up.

"You got lucky finding him," Jade commented to her one night. She actually meant it for once.

Lindsay and Christopher went to see a movie and then drove around the better part of Gotham afterward. Lindsay always loved how beautiful the city lit up at night.

When Christopher turned onto an empty intersection, a large truck appeared from the opposite street, braking hard, purposely stopping just enough to gently hit Christopher's car from behind. "What the hell?" He said in alarm.

The truck's headlights went out, making the truck appear as dark as the night around them. A couple of men exited the four door truck, and Lindsay knew right away they were either mobsters or just thugs. Regardless, they were still dangerous.

Christopher went to lock his car doors but the thugs were quicker. They ripped the front car doors open, yanking both him and Lindsay out. She started shrieking so Christopher punched the thug closest to him. Unfortunately the guy had a metal bat on him and swing at Christopher's face. It hit him hard and sent him to the ground.

The thug who grabbed Lindsay took out an automatic and let out a few rounds at all the nearby streetlights. The other with the bat smashed Christopher's headlights and the brake lights.

"Christopher-!" Lindsay whimpered as the thug with the gun let her go, only to have someone else from behind grab her and hold her close. He definitely had a bigger build than the original thug. He was also wearing gloves, Lindsay felt, when he put his hand over her mouth to quiet her.

"There, there-" he said to her quickly in an amusing voice. "Why do I always catch you with someone else-?" He sighed in annoyance. His voice was...strange. Slightly immature.

And also very familiar - but Lindsay couldn't quite place it. It would be useless to try to look at him. He obviously had the thugs bust out all the lights for a reason. He didn't want to be seen.

What Lindsay did see though was the faint symbol of a bat way up in the city sky. She silently begged the Batman to come, but she knew that was a one in an infinite chance of ever happening. And she already had that one chance a year ago.

Christopher groaned, slowly getting up. Lindsay whimpered pitifully when she saw his left temple was bruised and bleeding.

"Oh there's more where that came from," her captor promised, sounding just a little bit happy. "Boys...show him what happens when he tries to take what's already taken."

Lindsay's brown eyes went wide when the thugs started to beat Christopher down hard. She didn't care what the man holding her just said. Her love was going to get beaten to death...at the hands of...

When he started giggling over Christopher's fatal cries of pain, Lindsay struggled to get out of this man's hold because she realized with horror what was going on.

This was homecoming all over again. Patrick was now Christopher. The thugs hurting him were...

Lindsay fearfully put her hands over his hand on her mouth, and he shockingly let her pull it away. "Hmmm?" He questioned as she stepped away, and finally looked up at him, even though she couldn't see anything of him, she still knew.

"Jack-?" She choked.

He smirked through his plastered makeup. "Hell-o Princess." He said with a snicker, and Linday's whole world went blacker than the night.


	23. Restless Heart Syndrome

Lindsay woke up in an immediate panic. She wanted to think about Christopher - _was he okay - where is he - is he dead - is he alive_ - but those thoughts were wiped away at the single thought of one person.

Jack.

He was back.

Wait. She was...in her bed. _How-?_ She looked around carefully. It was just now hitting dawn. She climbed out of bed and walked out of her room, where she could hear crying from the living room downstairs.

Jade.

Lindsay silently crept down the steps and peeked into the living room to see Jade bawling at the TV. The news was on, and they were showing a video of...

Christopher's car.

His body slung over the vehicle, dead as can be.

Christopher. Dead.

_Christopher._

_Dead._

Because of Jack.

"No-!" Lindsay screamed and exploded into tears. Jade jolted up when she realized she was here.

"LINDSAY!" She cried. "I THOUGHT YOU WERE-WERE DEAD TOO!" She dashed over to her best friend and hugged her as they sobbed.

"Christopher," Lindsay wailed.

"I'm sorry," Jade tried to say calmly. "What happened-?"

"It-it...it was..." Lindsay hiccuped. "It was Jack..."

"Excuse me-?"

"Jack k-killed him," Lindsay whimpered. "Just like Patrick-!"

Jade stepped away with wide blue eyes. "Are you sure-? He's...he's back?"

Lindsay nodded, wiping her reddened eyes. "We shouldn't wake Tabby, especially if she sees us upset..."

Jade bravely grasped her shoulder. "You shouldn't leave the house if it's really him. What if he finds you again-?"

"He's already been in here," Lindsay realized. "I was there..." She glanced at the crime scene on TV. "And I woke up here. A couple of weeks ago, he was in here before. He moved his picture on the shelf."

Jade grimaced. "He was giving you a warning," she figured out. "Why don't you go stay at your dad's?" She suggested.

Lindsay shook her head. "It doesn't matter, Jade. It's Jack. If he wants to find me...he will."

* * *

><p>That afternoon, another video footage was on the news. A fake Batman was hung to death and was dangling outside of Mayor Garcia's office window. The news reporter then informed that the next footage they were about to show was going to be disturbing.<p>

"Look away, Tabby," Jade said to her daughter, but the five year old didn't listen.

_"Tell them your name,"_ The Joker said to the fake Batman.

_"Brian Douglas,"_ he rasped.

The Joker giggled. _"Are you the real Batman?"_

_"No."_

_"No-?"_ The Joker continued. _"Then why do you dress up like him?!"_ He yanked the mask off and dangled it in front of the camera, erupting into a fit of laughter.

_"Because he's a symbol that we don't have to be afraid of scum like you-!"_

_"But you do, Brian, you really do..."_ The Joker tried to calm the guy down before he yelled, _"Look at me...LOOK AT ME!"_

Lindsay dropped her cup of tea to the floor. Luckily it was carpet so only the liquid seeped out, staining it a bit.

Oh my God. There was no denying it now.

The Joker was Jack. She was unable to speak. They continued to watch. Jack turned the camera so it was on him as he started to rant.

_"Did you see? This is how crazy Batman's made Gotham. If you want order in Gotham, Batman must take off his mask and turn himself in. If he doesn't, people will die. Starting tonight. I'm a man of my word."_

"Is that..." Jade realized.

_"Oh and if my dear Princess just so happens to be watching this right now, don't let me catch you with anyone else again."_

He was laughing. The fake Batman was screaming. The video cut off.

"Jack," Jade finished. "Christ, what happened to him-?"

Tabby looked up at her with worry. "Uncle Jack is The Joker? But he made you hold a grenade!"

Lindsay felt sick. She dashed to the bathroom and vomited into the toilet, holding back tears. She finally gave up and wept for the longest time. She remained in there for over an hour until Jade finally came in.

"I have to get ready for that stupid fundraiser. You don't have to watch Tabby if you don't want to."

"No...I do. I don't want to be alone," Lindsay admitted.

Jade nodded. "Call me if anything happens. Better yet, call the goddamn police."

* * *

><p>Lindsay had no energy to cook and no way was she going to drive anywhere, so Tabby suggested they order a pizza. Lindsay agreed. They ate dinner and played a bunch of board games to pass the time.<p>

Lindsay could not shake the fearful wave that overpowered her. Christopher was dead, and just the idea of Jack being back relieved her enough to forget about her murdered boyfriend, but also terrified her. He had Christopher killed for one simple reason, and this is how she knew he wasn't who he used to be anymore.

He was...The Joker.

It was late when Jade returned from the Harvey Dent fundraiser. Lindsay was ready to hear about how Bruce Wayne's penthouse was, but the journalist looked like she'd seen a ghost.

"Jade-?" Lindsay called out. She watched her sit on the couch. Lindsay sat next to her and decided from her medical experience that Jade was in shock.

"He was there," she mumbled.

"Who?" Lindsay asked, but already knew. "...Jack?"

"He threw her out of the window."

"What? Who?"

"Rachel Dawes," Jade named. "Lindsay...that man...that...psychopath...is not Jack. Not anymore. You need to get out of here. Leave the city. Leave the country."

"You and I both know that's not going to happen," Lindsay admitted. "Do you think...if I could actually talk to him, could I-"

"No! Hell no!" Jade hissed. "You stay far away from him!"

Lindsay frowned. They both knew that wasn't going to happen either.

* * *

><p>According to the next time they watched the news, The Joker's next victim was going to be the mayor. Last night he had a judge killed and the Commissioner.<p>

"Loeb," Jade repeated quietly. "They're having a parade for him. I have to be there and get pictures for work."

"Jade," Lindsay said quietly. "You haven't written anything about how The Joker..."

"...is Jack?" Jade finished. "No. I wasn't going to. Sick shit as this is, we have to protect him."

Relief flooded Lindsay. "Thank you."

Tabby was taken to day care. Lindsay decided to accompany Jade to the parade. Since Jade was a journalist with a camera, she was able to sneak them up pretty close when the mayor was talking about Loeb to the public.

What happened in the next minute was all a blur for Lindsay. The officers who were standing in two rows perpendicular to the mayor shot their rifles in honor of the Commissioner two separate times. On the third time however, all of the officers aimed their rifles to the podium. One of them shot at the mayor.

That officer was Jack.

Lindsay watched a man tackle the mayor down so he would take the bullet. Now she looked for Jack - hoping he didn't take off.

He was looking directly at her.

She nearly screamed when he ran through people to get to her. Jade was going to hit him with her camera but he was so fast.

"Really?" He grimaced. "A camera?"

A real police officer was inches away from grabbing Jack. Lindsay snatched Jade's camera and uppercut the police officer with it.

"What the hell-!" Jade yelped.

Jack looked angry and grasped Lindsay's wrist hard, and started pulling her away towards some kind of getaway vehicle. To his surprise, she didn't resist. She went right with him. He had a good feeling he could take this in a whole direction.

Whoever was driving took off the instant they got in. The Joker sat in the back seat, rocking his toes back and forth. Lindsay remembered that he always used to do that when he was angry. He was angry that Gordon took the shot for the mayor. No worries - he would try again.

And now the Princess was sitting next to him.

"Jack..." she swallowed her fear.

"Hmmm?" he replied. That seemed to be the only thing he'd say when directly speaking to her. Or maybe he didn't like being called Jack.

Lindsay slowly stretched her hand out towards him, completely shaking as she carefully traced his dyed green curls, remembering when they were blonde. Her hand moved down to his face as she took his police hat off, gently going over the scars on both sides of his face. What the hell happened to him-?

"Did you love him?"

She blinked her brown eyes. "W-what?"

"Did. You. Love. Him?" he repeated.

She realized he was talking about Christopher. "No." she whispered.

"Why not?"

Lindsay gulped. That sorrowful thought that always plagued her was finally given a chance to come to light as she said-

"He wasn't you."

"Then why were you with him?!" The Joker asked with a confused giggle. "Why are you always testing me-? I can never take my eyes off you-"

"Excuse me?!" Lindsay interrupted. "Take your eyes off me?! You've been gone for years! WHY DID YOU LEAVE ME BEHIND?!"

The Joker laughed as the car made a sharp turn. "Because..._Princess..._you were either in love with _me _or with _Gotham_...you chose Gotham. Now I'm going to destroy this city...so you won't have a choice anymore."

Lindsay let out a sharp gasp. Destroy Gotham-?

Was he...

"Who are you?" Lindsay asked in horror. "You're not...you're not Jack..."

"You're exactly right," he agreed. "I'm someone better, Princess."

* * *

><p>Lindsay had enough of this. She knew this was all just one big game to Jack. No, she didn't doubt that he was capable of destroying Gotham City. She needed to stop him, or at least try to.<p>

He dumped her with a couple of his clown masked buddies, saying that she was only in the way and he would come back for her.

Come back for her? Okay Jonathan wannabe. She's not about to repeat Arkham Asylum all over again.

Using what she'd learned from her self defense class, she grabbed the automatic from one of the clowns and threatened them all with it until they let her leave freely. She hotwired a car (she learned this from her mother believe it or not) and drove back to the inner part of the city.

She didn't have to look far for Jack. He was tearing up half the city already.

She phoned Jade from a phone booth to let her know she was okay - only to hear that The Joker had been caught and was currently at MCU.

He got caught-? No...not Jack.

Lindsay was going to bust him out if she had to.

She drove to MCU and begged the officers outside to let her in. They denied her of course, and they kept asking who Jack was.

Now the mayor walked outside and noticed the commotion. "What's going on?" He asked.

"Mr. Garcia, please let me in. I want to talk to Jack." Lindsay almost demanded.

"Jack-?" The mayor said confusingly. "The clown?"

"Yes."

"You know him?"

"Yes, Mayor."

"Let her in," he ordered the officers. "Come with me." He touched her back and led her inside MCU. He spoke to some other officers and pretty much repeated what Lindsay had told him.

"Why didn't you say anything sooner?" The man Wuertz asked.

"I didn't know it was him until..." She honestly had no good lie to think of. "Please. I just want to talk to him."

"Harvey Dent is missing," the woman Ramirez alerted. "Do you think you could try to find out where The Joker had him taken to?"

"I can try," Lindsay said. Really she wanted to try and get Jack out of here. The mayor now took his leave.

"Commissioner Gordon is talking to him right now," an officer informed her. They went over to see just that through the one way mirrored window. Jack was sat at a table in handcuffs and-

Wait.

_Commissioner_ Gordon? What the hell?

Lindsay watched him uncuff Jack and then walk to the exit of the room. Jack looked rather amused now as he walked out, and Lindsay was right there to go in next.

"Who is-" he almost asked but the sunny blonde haired woman pushed past him and entered the interrogation room.


	24. What's In A Name?

**Everyone is going to hate me for this chapter**

"Jack," Lindsay breathed as she entered the barely lit interrogation room.

The Joker started laughing. "_You're_ the bad cop?"

"I'm not a..." Lindsay stopped. Now she couldn't help but say, "You and your jokes..." Hoping that would bring him back to his old self.

"Come. Sit." He ordered her, and she obeyed like he knew she would. Lindsay made herself comfortable across from him. He immediately took her hands and started playing with her fingers.

"Jack?" Lindsay said nervously.

"Are you afraid?" He noticed. "Is it the scars? Wanna know how I got 'em?"

"No," Lindsay answered. "I don't want to know how you got them. I want to know why you cover them up, along with your face. What happened to...what happened to my Jack?"

"Will you _please_ stop calling me that?" He groaned. "It's really starting to annoy me."

"What do I call you then?"

"You can call me _yours_!" He snickered. "And I can still call you Princess. _My_ princess."

Lindsay nodded. "Yours... she spoke.

"Yes my princess?"

"I don't want you to destroy the city."

"Why not?" he asked so casually, as if he destroyed cities for a living - which who knows, maybe he did.

"Because I choose _you_," Lindsay admitted.

"Nope," he denied. "No...you _don't_."

"Yes...I _do_."

"Change the subject," he growled, rubbing her backhands with his thumbs.

"Can you tell me where Harvey Dent is?" she asked nervously.

"No."

"Why?"

"You like to test me-" he reminded her. "You want me to catch you with him."

"No. I just want to know where he is."

"Hmmm..." Jack licked his lips, squeezing Lindsay's wrists. "Will you leave if I don't tell you?"

"Yes."

"Then leave."

"What?"

"I said..._leave_."

"Jack-"

"LEAVE!" He bellowed in a deep voice. He yanked Lindsay over the table and pinned her down, growling at her. In an instant the whole room lit up and something from behind slammed Jack's face into the table.

Lindsay scrambled away just as the Batman walked around, glaring at Jack, who whined, "Ow! Never start with the head! The victim gets all fuzzy and he can't feel the next-"

Batman slammed his fist on The Joker's backhand. It didn't even phase him.

"See?" he scowled.

Lindsay couldn't take any more. She fled the room and was met by Gordon but she shoved him away. She dashed through all the other officers until she found herself alone.

She fell to her knees and sobbed for a good while. She just wanted Jack back, not this...this..._whatever_ he was!

She-

**_BOOM_**

Everything around her went up in flames, making her knees wobble as she fell completely flat to the floor hard. She groaned and tried getting up, but something just kept her from moving.

That something was Jack.

"You never did listen to me," he hissed into her ear as he released his hold on her. "Come on Princess, let's go."

Everything felt fuzzy. She could have swore she felt something sharp just a few seconds ago. Did he...

Who cares.

The Joker lifted her up bridal style with an amused smirk. As he carried her, she put her hand over his face, leaving an imprint of her palm and fingers on his face through the makeup.

She loved him so much and she had no will to say it. Whatever drug he just gave her, it was strong but she loved it. She started giggling as they approached a jail cell. "Sweetheart," Jack spoke. "I need to put you down for just a second."

"Noooooo..." She moaned. "I want to stay with you forever and ever."

He promptly ignored her and set her down so he could bust the squealer known as Lau out. "Hello there," he greeted him, dangling the keys that could get the Chinese man out.

Lindsay went back to giggling and eventually sang a little bit. For some reason she was remembering choir songs from high school and hummed them softly as whatever drug she was on was starting to wear off.

It seemed like all she did was blink and suddenly she was in the back of a speeding cop car. Jack had the backseat windows down so the wind was blowing around his curls while he was kissing all over Lindsay's face playfully.

Most of her sanity had returned by now, so she sat up to meet a smirking Jack. "Where are we going?" She asked, wiping her face, no doubt smearing red paint or lipstick or whatever the hell he used all over.

"You're going home sweetheart," The Joker told her. "I still have work to do and you keep getting in my way. I told you I was gonna come back for you-"

"No," Lindsay said in horror.

"No?"

"No!"

"How 'bout yes?" He tested.

Lindsay gulped. "Yes..." She repeated.

"Good," The Joker said. "I'll see you _very _soon, my love."

* * *

><p>Tabby was driving her trike all around the living room when Aunt Lindsay walked in. She widened her caramel eyes and shrieked her name.<p>

Jade looked up at her in alarm. "They said the MCU blew up..." she said, sounding relieved that Lindsay wasn't dead..._again_. "What's going on? Where's Jack? What the _hell_ are you doing? Where have you _been_?"

"I want to meet Uncle Jack," Tabby chimed.

"Absolutely not!" Jade scolded. Her five year old daughter now pouted.

"I'm...going to bed-" Lindsay decided too quickly. She walked past them and disappeared upstairs.

"What's wrong with her?" Tabby asked sadly.

"What's wrong with her is Jack," Jade knew. "Batman needs to deal with him. Now."

...

...

...

Lindsay's phone went off the next morning. It was someone from work, asking her to come in, even though she was on paid vacation. But when they said that The Joker was going to blow up a hospital, Lindsay was already out the door, barely dressed in her nurse attire.

She passed too many red lights on the way to Gotham General. She now only had about half an hour to help evacuate everyone onto school buses.

Lindsay wasn't able to count how many stretchers she helped get out onto the buses in such a short amount of time. She recognized some of the patients - she had been their nurse.

When they were sure everyone was out, all of the buses drove off. Just minutes later, everyone heard the impending explosion of their hospital getting reduced to nothing but ash.

Lindsay's heart pounded. Why would Jack do this-?

* * *

><p>The missing bus of fifty hospital patients made a detour thanks to The Joker. He was still wearing the nurse's dress when he jumped out of the emergency exit and approached the house the bus stopped in front of.<p>

The front door was always unlocked, he noticed, as this wasn't his first time being here. This was the first time however, seeing the other two people of the household, apart from his princess.

Tabby stared up at him with innocent eyes, taking in his strange appearance. "Mommy!" She finally yelped, running into the kitchen.

The Joker plastered an innocent smirk on his face when Jade Crane came out and widened her icy eyes. "Jack." She named.

"_Hi_," he simply greeted.

"Lindsay isn't...here..." Jade hesitated. Was he seriously dressed up like that? Was he trying to mock Lindsay or something else entirely-?

"I'm not here for my princess," Jack remarked.

"Jack, what the fuck are you doing to her?" Jade demanded.

"Hmm?" He tilted his head.

"Are you trying to brainwash her?!"

"Now why would I do that?"

"Because you've always been obsessed with her and now look at you!"

"Look at me-?" The Joker repeated. "Go right ahead, dear. You see my scars? Wanna know how I got 'em?"

"What are you..."

"I can't let her have a choice," he muttered. "She'll end up choosing you and I won't let you take my princess."

"Choosing me-?" Jade said confusingly. "You're not making any sense, Jack!"

"DO NOT..." The Joker grabbed Jade and threw her back hard against the wall. Tabby started wailing from the kitchen. "CALL ME THAT!" He finished, pulling out one of his many knives. "I'm going to make sure you won't be an option anymore." He threatened.

Jade realized what he meant. "No...please...not in front of-" her last thoughts were of her young daughter who witnessed all of what happened next.

...

...

...

Lindsay remained at the new hospital for the rest of the day, working with the remaining staff of Gotham General to make room for all their patients. It was in the late afternoon when she had enough time to make a phone call.

"Dad," she said. "Are you okay?"

_"Yeah,"_ Michael Stark answered._ "I'm getting ready to go on one of the ferries out of the city."_

"What? Why?"

_"The Joker said on the news to watch out if any of us tried to leave the city through the bridges or tunnels."_

Lindsay gulped. "Dad, I have to tell you something."

_"What is it?"_

"Christopher...he's dead."

_"What?! What happened?!"_

Lindsay trembled. "It...it...it was Jack."

Michael stayed silent for a moment. _"Jack? As in..."_

"As in _my_ Jack, Dad. _My_ Jack."

_"He's in Gotham City?"_

"He's The Joker, Dad."

_"Oh, Christ on Earth..."_


	25. Weight Beneath My Sin

It was very hard for Tabby to fall asleep. Lindsay cradled her like a baby, because that was what Tabby was in her eyes right now.

A baby who had lost her mother.

Tabby knew that death meant you weren't going to see them again. Maybe in Heaven but who knows. "I want her to come back." she cried softly.

"I want her to come back, too," Lindsay said soothingly.

Jade's will listed Lindsay as Tabitha's legal guardian. Lindsay was going to take Tabby in regardless. They were currently at her father's house; Lindsay was in her old bed that she remembered sharing with Jack so very well, but he wasn't the only boy to have...

As if the little girl could read her mind, Tabby said, "Aunt Lindsay... you have to tell Uncle Jonathan that my mommy is gone."

Lindsay now froze up, widening her brown eyes. "Y-you think I should?"

"Mommy said she loves him very much."

Lindsay found this hard to believe. Jade and Jonathan hated each other growing up. She didn't know which hate relationship was worse - theirs, or Jack and Jonathan's. It had to be pretty even. Lindsay and Jade's friendship had been put to the test at its greatest a long time ago, which led Lindsay to remember...

_1999... hours after Jack disappeared after murdering Patrick on Homecoming, Lindsay ran to the first person she believed could comfort her the most. _

_Not her best friend. Not her father. The other boy Lindsay knew was always in love with her. In love with her from afar and would never admit it first._

_Jonathan Crane._

_She was still shaking horribly and she still had Patrick's blood on her cheeks and her lips, since Jack had given her that last kiss..._

_This upset her all over again. She barely had enough strength to knock once on the apartment door. Within seconds her savior in disguise answered, widening his big blue eyes. Now that she thinks back to it, he looked absolutely thrilled to see her._

_"Lindsay?" he said curiously._

_"He's gone," she let out in one breath. "Jack's...gone..."_

_He looked like he wanted to speak, but didn't. Lindsay didn't want him to speak. She just wanted..._

_She just wanted him. Selfishly and guiltily. _

_He didn't expect her to start crying horribly and latching onto him, as if he was going to disappear too. "Don't ever leave me, Jonathan," she begged as she sobbed. "Don't ever leave me...!"_

_Jonathan was shorter and smaller than Jack, so of course when he hugged her back it felt very different, but at the same time... it felt..._

_"I won't leave you." he whispered to her. He eventually got her to calm down, and sat her on the couch so he could wipe the blood off her. Finally she realized she was cold, wearing nothing but that dark red dress. She shivered until Jonathan put a blanket over her._

_She can't remember much after that. The pain of losing Jack was unbearable, but Jonathan made it better. For a few months after that, Lindsay had been fixated on Jonathan. He didn't mind, of course._

_"You're just her replacement for Jack, smart ass," Jade told him cruelly. "She's never liked you like that and she never-"_

_"I beg to differ," he interrupted her blatantly. _

_Jade had enough of what she called their fake relationship. Jonathan was a placebo for Jack in Lindsay's mind, and Jade wasn't gonna let Jonathan live in his sick fantasy anymore._

"Aunt Lindsay?"

She blinked several times, retreating from the memories. "Yes, Tabby?"

"You love him too?"

"What?"

"You said you love my uncle too."

Lindsay gulped and pulled a blanket over the child. "Yes, yes I do. I sure know how to pick them, don't I...?"

* * *

><p>When she was certain the girl was asleep, Lindsay slipped downstairs to be with her father, who said, "The Commissioner just called. He said Jack's been asking for you."<p>

Lindsay prompted she didn't care. She skimmed through the cupboards until she pulled out a bottle of her mother's old whiskey.

"Jesus, I didn't even know that was there," Michael admitted. "I'll get the glasses."

"I should have made better choices, Dad," Lindsay moped. When he handed her a glass, she filled it up all the way and took a long drink.

After a few glasses, she went on. "Jack was a bad choice."

"No he wasn't. You were good for him." Michael argued. "What happened to him, whatever that was, wasn't your fault."

"Not good enough," Lindsay slurred. "If he thought I could help him... he wouldn't have left me."

"Lindsay..." Michael warned.

She giggled now as she half ass poured another glass. The bottle was just about empty. "I'm not allowed to be happy," she decided. "Jack left me! Jade wouldn't let me be with Jonathan! Jack killed CHRISTOPHER!"

"Lindsay!" Michael repeated.

She held her glass up. "To Jade," she toasted. "May she judge me in the afterlife!" she downed the entire glass and then decided to have a massive fit of giggles.

Michael sighed. "Where is Jonathan now? I saw on TV Batman captured him."

Lindsay laughed. "If he survived the MCU getting blown to hell then Jack killed him or he escaped! HAHA!"

"That's it, you're off to bed," Michael groaned. He walked over and helped her up from the table and escorted her into the living room. "You just lay down here and don't get up."

"Yes Dad." Lindsay pouted. She stuck her tongue out and laughed again. Eventually she fell asleep, and slept dreamless.

Jade's funeral was a few days later. The only other person Lindsay recognized was an old friend from high school - the German girl, Abigail Steiner. "Abby?" Lindsay addressed.

"Hi Lindsay," she greeted, giving her a hug.

"Abby, I need you to be very careful," Lindsay advised.

"What?" the lady asked, stepping back a little.

"We're all that's left," Lindsay whispered. "He killed them all. David, Patrick... Jade... so, just..."

Abigail nodded. "Batman captured him though, right?"

Lindsay nodded back. "We both know that doesn't mean shit."

...

...

...

Literally that night, Commissioner Gordon called again. "They're transferring him to Arkham."

Lindsay raised an eye. "I'm sensing there's more."

Michael swallowed nervously. "The Commissioner says Jack wants you to be there when they deliver him. Batman has agreed to be there."

"As if that's supposed to make me feel better," Lindsay scoffed. "I'll go. I can... I can say goodbye to him."

"Do you think he deserves that?" Michael asked coldly.

Lindsay glared at him. "I love him, Dad. No matter what. There's a term Jonathan taught me. Unconditionally."

Michael sighed. "If anything happens, you call me."

"I can take care of myself, Dad," Lindsay snapped as she went for the door, ready for the impending drive towards another nightmare she was unprepared for.


	26. Meet The Monster

**I've been on a serious Cillian Murphy (Jonathan Crane/Scarecrow) phase. If you have Netflix, I recommend the show Peaky Blinders that he stars in, also has Tom Hardy (Bane) in some later episodes. AMAZING SHOW! **

**Anywho, since new stuff is happening here are the disclaimers: I own only the characters I made. Everything else is DC, Nolan, and Rocksteady Studios. ****P.S. I love you Mark Hamill, but I'm still following Nolan's world using Heath to represent The Joker in my story. Sorry not sorry.**

**Spoilers for the video game _Arkham Asylum. _No Harley Quinn though, sorry. I don't like her, and I think Lindsay would kill her.**

* * *

><p>How did The Joker end up going to Arkham Asylum? Well, he decided to attack city hall and hold Mayor Garcia hostage. For some reason he easily gave up and surrendered when Batman confronted him.<p>

Lindsay knew he was up to something. Again.

The drive through the Narrows was quick. Traffic laws didn't apply here for some reason, so this made her drive go by faster. Arkham Asylum still looked creepy as shit, and the horrid memories of all the bugs and hallucinating Jack returned to Lindsay. She shuddered as she got out of her car. Batman was standing aside while Asylum guards were strapping Jack to one of those stretchers that were positioned nearly straight up.

Jack wasn't wearing his makeup, so when he smiled at Lindsay, she almost believed he was as innocent as can be, until he spoke.

"I knew you would come, my princess."

Batman looked at her cautiously. "Don't get too close to him."

Lindsay glared at him. "You owe me a new car from a couple of years ago!"

Jack raised an eye in confusion, and he had to decide if he was going to get angry or not. Why was she talking to him as if she _knew_ him? _Was_ or _is_ there more going on than just Batman and that Rachel Dawes he'd had blown up? Was the Batman just like Crane, David, Patrick, and that stupid tattooed Marine?

The Joker never wanted Batman dead, but he may have to reconsider this now.

He growled jealously as Batman said, "That was your car?"

"If you won't let me walk with _my _princess," Jack emphasized. "At least let _my _princess walk with _me_..."

The guards looked at Batman for guidance. He nodded a little, and Lindsay approached the stretcher and took Jack's hand. He held hers in return as best as he could, since his wrists were cuffed. "How can you feel anything for this monster?" a guard asked in disgust as they slowly entered the asylum.

Lindsay ignored him. She didn't know how to answer that. How can she? He's just about killed everyone she's cared about, out of mere jealousy. If Jack didn't have a plan to get out of here, then these were her last moments with him.

Jonathan. That's what she could do. Find him. She could talk him into anything. Tabby doesn't know the things he's done - they could become fugitives. Get the hell out of Gotham.

...pfft! If Jack found out Lindsay ran off with the man he hates most... let's not think about it.

Lindsay recognized the Warden. She met him when Jonathan had her be a fake patient. He and Jack shared a few words, and then they were on their way again. Batman asked if Commissioner Gordon was here, and he was answered yes.

A male nurse wanted to give Jack a quick check up before they went into the elevator. Jack yelled "BOO!" at him, scaring the piss out of everyone. "My nurse is my _princess_ here," he announced. "They'll want you to take my temperature, sweetheart," he said to Lindsay. "I'll happily drop my pants _only_ for you."

Lindsay's face lit up a bright red as everyone gathered in the elevator and started the ride down. "Great night for a party!" Jack hooted.

"Not where you're going," Batman remarked.

"The night is still young," The Joker replied slyly, and erupted into laughter as the power went out, and everything was dark. Jack was _howling_. Lindsay felt someone yank her away from him and hold her close with one arm. When the power came back on, she saw it was Batman who grabbed her with his left hand, while his right hand was around The Joker's neck. Lindsay pulled away and returned to Jack's side like a little puppy.

"At least _someone _trusts me," The Joker scowled sarcastically.

The elevator opens, and there are more guards, along with Commissioner Gordon. The guards claim that Batman and Lindsay cannot go any farther than here, and this broke her heart. This was it? Jack would be gone forever... again?

He suddenly winked at her, and this changed everything.

In a matter of moments, he got himself loose and killed the guards. Lindsay should have seen this coming. He danced around their bodies like a little kid while Batman was trying to punch through the glass window that was separating them from him. That's all it was. A window and a short jump down was keeping Lindsay from Jack.

Screw this.

Lindsay ran forward at full force, tackling the cracked glass Batman had been punching. She pierced right through and free fell that short jump onto the ground. Batman was instantly behind her and lifted her up. By then The Joker was across the room, up a ramp, standing proudly. "Let's get this party _started!_" he exclaimed. "Batman, you keep my princess _safe_, or else!" and just like that, he disappeared.

"Jack?!" Lindsay screamed. What the hell kind of game was he playing at?! She took one step forward and Batman grabbed her - again. "Get your hands off me!" she yelled, shoving him away. He had no time to retaliate as a group of released inmates approached them with barred fists.

Lindsay put her arms up. She didn't take self defense classes for nothing. Instead, Batman stepped in front of her. "Stay back." he warned, and attacked the inmates. This was the first time Lindsay got to see the man in action. He dropped the inmates with just a few punches. He must have steel gloves or something. She almost wanted to ask.

"I could have taken them out," she remarked as she almost ran to catch up with Batman, who was flying up the ramp. It led to a trail of hallways littered with dead Asylum guards. Jack probably never blinked an eye when he knifed them.

They came across a couple of living guards who were standing near a locked room where another guard was being held prisoner in a shock chair. The man holding him hostage frightened Lindsay. He had no shirt on, he was bald, and he had giant locks on his neck, arms, feet and waist.

Guess they couldn't hold him.

He threatened to fry the guard alive if he saw Batman, so Lindsay stayed put with the other guards while Batman went to do his thing - save the guard without being seen. Batman entered the room from the other side and flew down at the man with a massive kick to the head, knocking him unconscious.

Lindsay followed the guards in, and was looking at the man's body as the room completely locked down. There were scars all over his chest, of what looked like... tally marks.

Probably to keep track of how many he's killed.

Shiver.

Since there was no way out, Batman ended up ripping open a vent in the wall. "Miss Stark?" he called over. "We have to find The Joker."

Lindsay stepped away from the man's body and followed him into the vent, literally having to crawl. This wasn't awkward at all. When they reached the end of the vent, Batman kicked it open and let Lindsay crawl in front of him. "Hang on," he spoke, gently wrapping his arm around her waist. Lindsay paid attention and-

Nope, not steel gloves.

They jumped down onto the ground, and traveled through the decontamination and air filtration rooms of the asylum. This place was bigger than she ever imagined.

She knew they were getting close when they started seeing green spray paint on the ground in the shape of arrows pointing the way. The last one was a smiley face, and then another one on a door. Batman burst through it and there was Jack - standing up high on something large. Maybe a piece of concrete? Wait, no, it looked like a GIANT stone safe. It was held up by humongous chains.

He also had all his makeup back on. As he started giggling, Batman threw a small sharp weapon the shape of a bat up at him. Lindsay covered her mouth in fear but was instantly relieved when Jack yelled, "Ooh!" and ducked down to evade the batarang, as Batman called it.

"I've got something better!" Jack yelled, and the safe suddenly opened. "He's a big one!"

What Lindsay saw jump out of the safe was... it was...

It was something out of this world. That was all she could muster.

The creature with giant arms attacked Batman, so Lindsay used the distraction to run over to the safe in attempts to climb it. "Jack!" she screeched.

"Come on up, Princess," Jack remarked, grabbing her arm and pulling her up when she made it to the top of the wheel that opened the safe. "Sorry I left you behind. I had some... _last minute _party preparations to make!"

"What is that thing?!" she let out, almost afraid to look at the creature thrashing about the room.

"Just a test subject I'm trying out," Jack admitted, pulling her against him. "I don't think he's gonna last long..."

As if on queue, the creature suddenly started groaning, and completely keeled over. Batman looked very confused, especially when the giant safe started moving backwards, away from him. Lindsay clung to Jack to avoid falling off.

"Miss Stark!" Batman called out.

"She's mine! All mine!" The Joker hooted at him. "See you later!" he waved as they disappeared behind a large door that shut automatically.

Lindsay felt like she was gonna throw up. She would resist, because right now she has Jack in her arms, and she wasn't going to let go purposely.

* * *

><p>After a while, she realized Batman wasn't going to forget this. Her willingly joining Jack makes her just as bad. She could go to jail if she gets caught - sent to Blackgate even.<p>

She couldn't have that.

Jack will protect her.

"Just push this button for me, Princess. It'll keep Batman from following us up the elevator." Jack handed her a small detonator. She obeyed, casting her brown eyes onto the small red button, and then pressing her shaky thumb on it. Something exploded from afar, followed by a loud crash.

A few minutes later, they were in a control room. Jack grabbed an old fashioned mic and spoke into it, "Attention! There's an escaped patient on the loose! He dresses like a bat! Whoever _deals_ with him gets a night out with my princess! JUST _KIDDING_! She's _mine_! I still want Batman taken care of!"

"What are we doing, Jack?" Lindsay questioned.

"We're celebrating!" The Joker replied. "This whole asylum is ours!"

Lindsay wanted to speak to her father again. She wanted to apologize and tell him goodbye. If she made it out of here, she wouldn't be able to go home. She would tell him Tabby was his responsibility now.

No.

Tabby is hers now. Her mother willed it.

The man who killed Jade was using radio broadcasts to warn Gotham City not to have any kind of law enforcement come onto the island, or he'd blow up the entire city with bombs. This threw Lindsay into a fit - she was not going to let him do that. She couldn't lose the only family she had left.

"Relax, Princess. You know they'll listen to _me_. They _always _do." Jack reminded very quietly. Now he grinned. "You know... they'll listen to you too. They know who you are."

As if he knew what she'd say or think, an evil, brilliant idea came to Lindsay's mind. She went over to the broadcast and spoke out. "Hello... this is Princess! Uh... Batman smashed my car a long time ago, so I'd like to return the favor. Find where his vehicle is and smash it to pieces!"

As Jack started laughing out of control, Lindsay admitted to herself that she'd finally lost her mind... but she was completely okay with it.


End file.
